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Sean McDermott Intends To Coach In 2026

By | at January 20, 2026 1:54 pm

Sean McDermott just lost his longtime job in Buffalo, but he intends to quickly find a new gig and coach in 2026, per Mark Maske of the Washington Post.

McDermott, 51, has been in the NFL since 1999, but he has only worked for three teams. He will likely be seeking one of the league’s five remaining vacancies (not counting his former position in Buffalo). However, he has only been mentioned as a potential candidate for a few of those jobs with no official interviews scheduled or requested yet.

McDermott’s has a strong reputation around the league, as evidenced by the widespread confusion when he was fired. He consistently put together solid defenses in both Carolina and Buffalo and could receive consideration as a defensive coordinator candidate if a head coaching position does not work out. The Eagles and Panthers employed McDermott as a DC previously. He was at the helm for Carolina’s 15-1 2015 season that ended with a Super Bowl 50 loss.

This year’s HC cycle has featured two immediate bounce-back opportunities — John Harbaugh with the Giants, Kevin Stefanski with the Falcons — and Robert Saleh caught on as a retread (with the Titans). McDermott still joins a host of defensive-minded candidates on the market. The likes of Chris Shula, Jesse Minter and Vance Joseph have taken many interviews. Ditto Raheem Morris, who went two-and-done in Atlanta. The Dolphins also hired a defense-based leader, tabbing Jeff Hafley on Monday. McDermott should have a chance at interviews soon.

The Bills fielded four top-five scoring defenses during McDermott’s time at the helm. The longtime Buffalo leader vacillated between play-calling DC and a CEO head coach. While injuries regularly hurt McDermott’s defenses in the playoffs, with Tre’Davious White and Christian Benford‘s unavailability for Kansas City matchups in the past proving costly, his units ran into trouble in January. The Broncos put up 33 points on McDermott’s team Saturday. That came after the Chiefs scored 32 in the AFC championship game last year.

Still, McDermott went 98-50 as a head coach while reaching two AFC championship games. He won eight playoff games as Bills HC, capitalizing on Josh Allen‘s meteoric rise to the MVP tier. But the Bills fired him in large part for a failure to ride Allen’s top-level form to a Super Bowl. The Steelers and Ravens came up as potential suitors, though Pittsburgh’s famous three-coach/57-season run never included a hire of a head coach north of 40. The Browns, Cardinals and Raiders’ jobs also remain available.

McDermott will assuredly be taking a steep drop in QB quality with his next job — should he land one of the available positions. That represents an interesting component both for him and for hiring teams, considering how much Allen’s talent helped the HC during his nine Buffalo years.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

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Saints Re-Sign S Julian Blackmon

By | at January 20, 2026 1:21 pm

Veteran safety Julian Blackmon will not reach free agency this year. After back-to-back one-year contracts as a UFA, the six-year vet will stay with the Saints.

New Orleans is re-signing Blackmon, announcing a one-year deal with the former Colts starter. Blackmon is coming off a one-game season, having suffered a torn labrum in September. But the Saints will give him another shot.

The Saints initially signed Blackmon in July, with the deal coming after Tyrann Mathieu‘s summer retirement. The former Colts third-round pick became a Week 1 starter, lining up alongside fellow free agent pickup Justin Reid. Rookie Jonas Sanker took over in Blackmon’s place, starting 16 games. It will be interesting to see if Blackmon, 27, can mount a charge to reacquire the job following this second Saints contract.

In Dalton Risner fashion, Blackmon has been a regular starter who has needed to settle for one-year deals in free agency. Blackmon played out a one-year, $3.7MM deal with Indianapolis in 2024 and was tied to a one-year, $3.17MM New Orleans pact last year. It is quite possible his Week 1 injury will continue this pay-cut trend, but numbers for this agreement are not in yet.

Ranked among our top 50 free agents in 2024, the 2020 draftee operated as a chess piece in Gus Bradley‘s defensive scheme in Indianapolis. The converted college cornerback intercepted seven passes between the 2023 and ’24 seasons. In 2024, the Colts used him more as a pure free safety — as opposed to his extensive box usage in 2023.

Blackmon also has an Achilles tear on his medical sheet, so the 2026 season will be important from a health standpoint — if he is to ever command a multiyear deal moving forward. Reid is signed through 2027, while Sanker’s rookie deal runs through 2028. This Blackmon re-up gives New Orleans good depth at safety beyond this season.

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Trespassing Charge Dropped For Vikings WR Jordan Addison

By | at January 20, 2026 1:03 pm

Last week, Jordan Addison was arrested and booked on a misdemeanor trespassing charge following an alleged incident in Tampa Bay. The case will not proceed, however.

Hillsborough County court records demonstrate Florida state attorney Susan Lopez has decided to drop the charge (h/t ESPN’s Kevin Seifert). The case will no longer proceed against the Vikings receiver. His $500 bond will be repaid.

“As Mr. Addison’s agent has advised, from the very outset of this incident and arrest, Mr. Addison committed no legal wrongdoing,” a statement from attorney Brian Pakett reads (via NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero). “We are thrilled that the truth was finally revealed and this poor man’s name was not besmirched any longer. I am thankful we were able to bring this to light as quickly as possible.”

Addison’s agent informed Pelissero’s colleague Mike Garafolo that preparations are being made for a wrongful arrest civil suit to be filed. Regardless of what happens on that front, Addison will not spend the offseason with the potential for legal or league discipline looming. The former first-rounder was suspended for the opening three games of the 2025 season due to a DUI arrest.

Over the course of his three years in Minnesota, Addison has served as a full-time starter and a productive contributor on offense. After totaling 19 touchdowns in his first two campaigns, the 23-year-old joined all other Minnesota pass-catchers in having a down year in 2025. The team will aim for improved quarterback play next season, and Addison stands to be among the main beneficiaries if that takes place.

This spring, a decision will need to be made on Addison’s fifth-year option. The Vikings can be expected to exercise it, something which will tie the Pittsburgh/USC product to a 2027 salary of $15.28MM.

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Kevin Stefanski To Weigh In On Falcons GM Search

By | at January 20, 2026 12:38 pm

The Falcons have made their first two major hires of the offseason in president of football operations Matt Ryan and head coach Kevin Stefanski.

Their search for a new general manager begun before those moves became official, but Stefanski is expected to “have a voice” in the search, according to The Exhibit’s Josina Anderson.

Of course, a new head coach helping the team pick their next general manager is not much of a surprise. The process typically goes the other way around, but the Falcons’ new structure has the GM reporting to Ryan. So, hiring Stefanski first and involving him in the search will allow him to find a true partner as they work to build a team together.

It is worth noting that Ryan did not participate in the first stage of interviews, so his real influence will not come until the second round, when Stefanski will also be involved.

Had the Falcons not landed Stefanski, their other targets for second interviews were Jeff Hafley and Jesse Minter, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. Both would have been immediately available for those in-person meets, which could have allowed the Falcons to move just as quickly as they did with Stefanski.

Instead, Hafley ended up in Miami, and Minter is a finalist for multiple head coaching vacancies around the league. Hafley’s new GM, former Packers executive Jon-Eric Sullivan, had come in from Green Bay just a few weeks before he was hired, while Minter could end up in Baltimore, where he previously worked with Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta during his stint as a defensive assistant.

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Cardinals Arrange Joe Brady HC Interview

By | at January 20, 2026 12:03 pm

Joe Brady is a name to watch regarding the Bills‘ head coaching vacancy. In the event he is not promoted as Buffalo’s Sean McDermott replacement, outside offers could be coming soon.

Brady is set to interview with the Cardinals, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reports. The sides did not speak virtually as teams around the league conducted virtual interviews during the early stages of the hiring cycle. Brady is free to meet in person with Arizona, though.

Brady has already interviewed once with the Falcons, Raiders and Dolphins. He has a second interview with the Ravens on the books as well. Clarity could soon emerge in this case, as Brady weighs his options. The 36-year-old is among the youngest candidates on the market, although this is not the first hiring cycle in which he has drawn HC interest.

After one season spent on LSU’s championship-winning staff, Brady was hired by the Panthers as their offensive coordinator. A two-year spell in that capacity did not go as planned, but he quickly landed a new opportunity in 2022 as Buffalo’s quarterbacks coach. After Ken Dorsey was fired midway through the 2023 season, Brady was tapped as his replacement. Buffalo finished sixth in scoring that year, then posted top-four finishes in each of Brady’s two full campaigns as OC.

Renewed head coaching interest from outside suitors thus comes as no surprise. The Cardinals had a head coach with a defensive background for each of the past three seasons in the form of Johnathan Gannon. As expected, he was fired on ‘Black Monday’ following Arizona’s 3-14 campaign. Gannon’s predecessor, Kliff Kingsbury, was Arizona’s most recent hire with experience as an offensive play-caller.

The quarterback situation is unclear at this point in the Cardinals’ case, although Kyler Murray could be retained for 2026. In any event, Brady – or another HC hire in position to guide the offense – would be tasked with overseeing a needed step forward on that side of the ball next season. With other possibilities to consider, it will be interesting to see how Brady feels about the possibility of taking charge of the Cardinals.

Via PFR’s HC Search Tracker, here is an updated look at where things stand for Arizona:

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Falcons Hire Bill Callahan As OL Coach

By | at January 20, 2026 11:39 am

New Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski is starting to build his new staff, and his first major hire is a reunion with offensive line coach Bill Callahan, per team reporter Tori McElhaney.

Callahan, 69, is one of the most respected OL coaches in the NFL. He has coached for nine different teams, including Stefanski’s Browns from 2020 to 2023. In 2024, he followed his son and then-Browns offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, to Tennessee when he was hired as the Titans’ head coach.

Callahan’s offensive line ranked fifth and sixth in sacks allowed during his two seasons as their coach despite the team’s investments in the unit. That was representative of the entire offense, though, as their quarterbacks had a tendency to hold onto the ball for too long, partially because receivers were not open downfield.

When the Titans fired Brian Callahan in October, his father unsurprisingly left the team shortly after. In another predictable move, he followed Stefanski to Atlanta, something that was referenced by NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo shortly after Stefanski was hired.

In Atlanta, Callahan will replace Dwayne Ledford, who was also the Falcons’ run game coordinator. He is expected to draw interest around the league, per Garafolo. Perhaps he could follow Arthur Smith, the coach who brought him into the NFL in 2021 after 15 years at the college level, to his next destination.

Stefanski is expected to take other Browns assistants with him. At the top of his list is offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, who will likely take the same job in Atlanta

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Ravens Expected To Conduct Second HC Interview With Jesse Minter

By | at January 20, 2026 10:42 am

The Ravens spoke with 16 candidates during the first round of their ongoing HC search. A much shorter list of finalists is now emerging.

[RELATED: HC Search Tracker]

Baltimore will conduct an in-person interview with Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver today. It became known yesterday that a follow-up with Bills OC Joe Brady is being planned for later this week. A third name to watch on that front is Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.

The Ravens are expected to conduct a second interview with Minter this week, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports. The parties met virtually last Wednesday, with Baltimore among the many teams showing interest in Minter’s case. Both the Browns and Raiders have arranged an in-person interview with Minter. The Ravens certainly have competition for one of the top candidates still on the market.

To little surprise, three of the four head coaching hires made so far in the 2026 cycle have seen ex-HCs receive a second opportunity. John Harbaugh – whom the Ravens fired after his 18th season with the team – along with Kevin Stefanski and Robert Saleh have found new homes. Jeff Hafley was not among the interviewees in Baltimore’s case, so the fact he is now in place with the Dolphins should have no impact on the team’s search.

Minter has loomed as one of the most sought-after coaches in the 2026 cycle, especially amongst those with a defensive background. The 42-year-old has enjoyed success as a DC at both the college and NFL levels. Minter also has ties to the Ravens, having worked from 2017-20 as part of their staff. For eight of the past nine years, Minter has worked under either John or Jim Harbaugh.

Minter is free to speak with the Ravens and other teams at any time. NFL rules mean staffers on the teams set to play in the conference title games cannot do so this week, however. That is significant in Baltimore’s case given the team’s links to candidates such as Chris Shula and Nate Scheelhaase (Rams), Klint Kubiak (Seahawks) as well as Davis Webb, Vance Joseph and – most recently – Darren Rizzi (Broncos).

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Packers Request DC Interview With Daronte Jones

By | at January 20, 2026 9:00 am

As expected, Jeff Hafley is the new head coach of the Dolphins. His departure leaves the Packers in need of a replacement defensive coordinator.

Green Bay is interested in one of the most popular candidates of this year’s cycle. An interview request has been submitted for Vikings defensive pass-game coordinator Daronte Jones, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. This marks the fourth DC vacancy Jones has been connected to.

The Giants were among the teams to submit an interview request in his case. Jones has also met once with the Jets for their opening. The Cowboys have reached out to a long list of candidates in their ongoing search, and Jones is among those who have conducted a second interview with Dallas.

Jones has NFL experience dating back to 2016. His first Vikings stint took place in 2020, and it was followed by a one-and-done stint as LSU’s defensive coordinator. The 47-year-old then returned to Minnesota in 2022, one year before Brian Flores arrived as the team’s DC. Flores and Jones have each boosted their stock over the past three years. Flores remains a head coaching candidate at this time, although the Vikings have made clear their desire for retaining him.

In the event Flores were to depart, Jones would be a candidate to follow him to his new destination. Alternatively, a Vikings promotion could become something to watch for. In the meantime, it will be interesting to see if Jones emerges as a target for Dallas in particular given the fact he has conducted an in-person interview. Competition from the Packers could emerge, if a Green Bay interview winds up being arranged.

Hafley enjoyed strong results during the first of his two Packers seasons in particular. The team was hit hard by injuries down the stretch in 2025, and in addition to better health next year Green Bay will hope the new D-coordinator maintains the level of play Hafley oversaw. Jones joins Eagles defensive backs coach Christian Parker as a Packers target for their coordinator opening.

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2026 NFL Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker

By | at January 20, 2026 9:00 am

The 2026 head coaching carousel has now seen 10 jobs open since the start of the offseason, as the Bills have fired Sean McDermott. HC firings generally lead to coordinator changes, and several other teams have proceeded with OC or DC moves to start their offseasons. Here are the current OC and DC searches transpiring. As the remaining HC searches conclude, more coordinator searches will be added to this list.

Updated 1-21-26 (6:55pm CT)

Offensive Coordinators

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens 

Detroit Lions (Out: John Morton)

Kansas City Chiefs (Out: Matt Nagy)

Los Angeles Chargers (Out: Greg Roman)

New York Giants (Out: Mike Kafka)

Philadelphia Eagles (Out: Kevin Patullo)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Out: Josh Grizzard)

Tennessee Titans (Out: Nick Holz)

Washington Commanders (Out: Kliff Kingsbury)

Defensive Coordinators

Dallas Cowboys (Out: Matt Eberflus)

Green Bay Packers (Out: Jeff Hafley)

New York Giants (Out: Shane Bowen)

New York Jets (Out: Steve Wilks)

  • Mathieu Araujo, cornerbacks coach (Dolphins): Interviewed
  • Ephraim Banda, safeties coach (Browns): Interviewed
  • DeMarcus Covington, defensive line coach (Packers): Interviewed
  • Chris Harris, interim defensive coordinator (Jets): Interviewed 1/18
  • Daronte Jones, defensive backs coach (Vikings): Interviewed
  • Jim Leonhard, defensive backs coach (Broncos): Interviewed
  • Don Martindale, defensive coordinator (Michigan): Interviewed
  • Jim O’Neil, defensive assistant/safeties (Lions): Interviewed

Washington Commanders (Out: Joe Whitt)

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Bills Fire HC Sean McDermott

By | at January 19, 2026 11:13 pm

In the wake of another disappointing playoff exit, the Bills are making a change on the sidelines. Sean McDermott is out, as first reported by Tom Pelissero, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.

General manager Brandon Beane will remain in place, Rapoport adds. He will help lead the search for McDermott’s replacement. Buffalo has now become the 10th team in the NFL to make a head coaching change during the 2026 offseason. The rest of the Bills’ staff was being informed of the news when it broke, per The Exhibit’s Josina Anderson.

[RELATED: Bills Promote Beane To President Of Football Ops]

McDermott arrived in Buffalo in 2017. His tenure has been defined in large part by sustained success in the regular season, with the Bills reaching the playoffs all but once and posting double-digit wins in each of the past seven years. Despite the availability and high level of play produced by quarterback Josh Allen, however, McDermott’s teams have yet to break through in the postseason. The franchise will look to do so with a new voice on the sidelines.

Allen and McDermott have won a total of eight playoff games together. That is the most in NFL history by a HC-QB tandem which has failed to reach a Super Bowl (h/t WFAA’s Ed Werder). A path to ending that streak of shortcomings appeared to exist during this year’s playoffs in particular, with Patrick Mahomes‘ Chiefs, Lamar Jackson‘s Ravens and Joe Burrow‘s Bengals all missing the tournament. Nevertheless, an overtime loss in Denver on Saturday marked another loss in the divisional round for the Bills.

A turnover-filled performance on Allen’s part was a major factor in this year’s Buffalo exit. Overall, though, underwhelming showings on defense were seen on multiple postseason occasions over the years during McDermott’s Buffalo tenure. Given his background as a defensive coordinator, that increasingly became a talking point with respect to McDermott’s job security. A firing in this case adds further to the noteworthy changing of the guard when it comes to multiple AFC teams known for stability.

Today’s McDermott news does not entirely come as a surprise, however. Entering the wild-card round, the Bills and Packers were named as potential John Harbaugh suitors. Green Bay wound up reaching an extension agreement with Matt LaFleur recently, but Buffalo has elected to take the alternative route. Harbaugh has already made his decision, officially taking on the Giants’ HC gig this past weekend. Kevin Stefanski is also off the board, since he is now with the Falcons.

Buffalo now joins the list of destinations for HC candidates. With Allen and a core of players attached to long-term extensions (signed, in many cases, last offseason), the Bills will no doubt be seen as one of the more attractive landing spots for staffers. Once a hire is made, Allen will begin the process of adapting to a new head coach for the first time in his career.

After their run of four straight Super Bowl losses under Marv Levy, sustained success proved difficult to attain for the Bills. Seven different full-time head coaches were in place until McDermott’s hire. His arrival helped spark a run which included five consecutive AFC East titles. Overall, McDermott posted a record of 98-50 in the regular season and 8-8 in the playoffs.

Beane, like McDermott, worked with the Panthers before coming to the Bills nine years ago. His tenure has overlapped with many of the team’s best accomplishments in recent memory, sparked of course by the decision to draft Allen in 2018. Beane has drawn criticism for elements of his roster-building approach, though, and in 2025 in particular his actions (or lack thereof) at the receiver position were a main talking point. Nonetheless, Buffalo has opted for stability in the front office moving forward.

Lengthy HC tenures in Baltimore (Harbaugh) and Pittsburgh (Mike Tomlin) recently came to an end. With McDermott now out as well, the AFC will look far different on the sidelines when the 2026 season kicks off. Meanwhile, McDermott’s next move will become one of the top storylines around the league as the coaching landscape takes shape.

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