While it seems likelier than not that Sean McDermott will sit out the 2026 campaign, that won’t stop teams from approaching the former Bills head coach about new opportunities. That includes the Buccaneers, who recently talked to McDermott about joining Todd Bowles‘ staff, per Greg Auman of FOX Sports.
Despite Tampa Bay’s interest, Auman notes that McDermott isn’t expected to coach in 2026. Instead, the 51-year-old is expected to re-assess his options during the 2027 offseason. This echoes a report from the other day that indicated that McDermott could sit out the upcoming campaign, although there were some previous rumblings that he could dive right back into coaching.
Tampa Bay would be a logical landing spot for McDermott. Bowles hasn’t employed a traditional defensive coordinator since he earned a promotion from that role in 2022, with the head coach still preferring to call plays on that side of the ball. However, the team could have still eyed McDermott for a significant role on the staff, especially after the Buccaneers saw three defensive coaches depart this offseason (cornerbacks coach Kevin Ross and defensive line coach Charlie Strong were fired while safeties coach Nick Rapone retired).
McDermott also has some connections to the organization. He overlapped with current Buccaneers GM Jason Licht when the two worked for the Eagles, and he also interviewed for the head coaching job in 2016.
McDermott does have coordinator experience, as he was responsible for the defense during stints with the Eagles and Panthers. More likely, he’ll garner some head coaching interest next offseason. After getting fired by the Bills, the coach reportedly received “positive reviews” from those who took a year off from coaching following their ousters, and it appears that McDermott is planning on following the same path.