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Brian Daboll Prefers Bills’ HC Position

By | at January 22, 2026 10:50 am

Brian Daboll is among the staffers still in contention for at least one head coaching opportunity but also an offensive coordinator gig. If he has his way, Daboll will once again be leading an NFL staff in 2026.

The ex-Giants HC’s “top choice” would be to return to the Bills as their next head coach, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports. Daboll worked in Buffalo as the team’s offensive coordinator for four years prior to receiving his first head coaching opportunity. An in-person interview will take place with the Bills today.

In the wake of Sean McDermott‘s firing, Daboll quickly emerged as a strong candidate to replace him. A reunion would allow quarterback Josh Allen to once again work with the play-caller who was in place during the early stages of his NFL development. The Bills posted a top-five finish in both total and scoring offense during Daboll’s final two years with the team.

Duplicating that level of success would of course be welcomed by all parties, although Buffalo has managed strong offensive showings under current OC Joe Brady as well. Brady is a candidate to be promoted to head coach as he also draws outside head coaching interest. Daboll, meanwhile, has been connected to multiple offensive coordinator positions. Some of the vacancies in that respect remain unfilled at this time.

The Titans in particular are a team to watch as it pertains to Daboll. It was reported yesterday the 50-year-old’s preference in the absence of a HC agreement would be to handle offensive coordinator duties in Tennessee. Earlier this week, the Titans hired Robert Saleh as a veteran head coach but one with a defensive background. An experienced play-caller on offense would represent a logical pairing, and Daboll certainly fits the bill.

After a surprise run to the divisional round of the postseason during his first year with the Giants, things went downhill in Daboll’s case. He did not survive to the end of his fourth season with New York, and overall Daboll posted a record of 20-40-1 during his first head coaching opportunity. A second chance in a familiar setting will certainly be something to watch for as Buffalo’s ongoing search comes into focus over the coming days.

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Terry Pegula: Bills’ Coaches Pushed For Keon Coleman Draft Pick

By | at January 21, 2026 11:02 pm

As the Bills sent out several HC interview requests Wednesday morning, Terry Pegula conducted an interesting press conference. One of the topics covered a player who may not be long for Buffalo.

The longtime Bills owner interrupted football ops president/GM Brandon Beane on an answer regarding Keon Coleman, indicating the coaching staff pushed for the wide receiver’s selection in 2024. The Bills traded out of Round 1 to No. 33 and opened Day 2 of that draft with Coleman, but his second season — a playoff touchdown notwithstanding — brought considerable disappointment.

[RELATED: Pegula, Beane Not Happy With Sean McDermott’s Roster Assessment]

“I’ll address the Keon situation. The coaching staff pushed to draft Keon,” Pegula said. “I’m not saying Brandon wouldn’t have drafted him, but [Coleman] wasn’t his next choice. That was Brandon being a team player and taking advice of his coaching staff who felt strongly about the player. And you know, he’s taken — for some reason — heat over it, and not saying a word about it. But I’m here to tell you the true story.”

The Bills traded out of No. 28, allowing the Chiefs to come up and draft Xavier Worthy. Two more receivers — Ricky Pearsall, Xavier Legette — went to close Round 1. Coleman opened the draft’s second night despite running a 4.61-second 40-yard dash at the Combine. Beane is quoted on a pre-draft video indicating Coleman’s 4.57-second 40 time at Florida State’s pro day would help the team land him, and the GM confirmed he signed off on the pick.

“I made the pick,” Beane said. “Terry’s point was that we might have had a different order of personnel versus coaching, and I went that way. But ultimately, I’m not turning a pick for a player that I don’t think we can succeed with. So don’t misunderstand that.

“Keon Coleman is a young player that has been here two years, has two years left on his deal. It’s up to us to work with him and develop him. His issues have not been on the field. They’ve just been maturity things that he owns. I give him credit. … He doesn’t make excuses, which I appreciate.”

Sending the Dolphins and offer of first- and third-round picks for Jaylen Waddle at the deadline, the Bills scoured the market for wide receiver help. The team evidently did not out-offer the Jaguars or Seahawks for Jakobi Meyers or Rashid Shaheed, and it ended up adding a few options — including Brandin Cooks — via in-season free agency. Coleman’s lack of development keyed the team’s wide receiver need, with Josh Allen having little in terms of reliability at the position beyond Khalil Shakir.

At the time of the pick, Beane said Allen helped coaches scout receiver prospects. Coleman was among those the superstar passer preferred. It has not worked out thus far. By not singling out McDermott, Pegula left the door open to multiple Bills staffers pushing for Coleman. Joe Brady, among the team’s HC candidates, was in place as OC by then.

Although Coleman showed promise as a rookie (29 receptions, 556 yards, four touchdowns), he fell off after an explosive Week 1 outing this season. Coleman finished the regular season with 38 catches for 404 yards and four TDs. This sophomore season included healthy scratches, with Sean McDermott citing professionalism as an issue for the second-year player. With Gabriel Davis and Tyrell Shavers tearing ACLs in the Bills’ playoff opener, Coleman was thrust into a key role once again to close the campaign.

Being drafted 33rd overall, Coleman is due guaranteed money through 2027. The Bills guaranteed $9.64MM of Coleman’s $10.1MM rookie deal. That will factor into any trade talks. Even as Beane attempted to walk back Pegula’s comments, it is uncommon for an owner to single out a player in the way Pegula did. That points to potential Coleman trade availability, as the Bills will surely prioritize the WR position as they change coaching staffs this offseason.

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Bills’ Terry Pegula Discusses Sean McDermott’s Firing; Josh Allen To Have Input In HC Search

By | at January 21, 2026 8:15 pm

The Bills suffered a 33-30 overtime loss to the Broncos in last weekend’s divisional round, the franchise’s latest crushing playoff defeat. Sean McDermott was at the helm for several of those losses, and owner Terry Pegula elected to make a change in firing the head coach on Monday.

A Super Bowl appearance eluded McDermott, but his nine-year run was nonetheless a success. Taking over an organization that had missed the postseason 17 straight times, McDermott guided the Bills to the playoffs in eight of nine seasons. He went 98-50 in the regular season, 8-8 in the playoffs and won five AFC East titles.

McDermott, then the Panthers’ defensive coordinator, took the Buffalo job in January 2017. Former Panthers colleague Brandon Beane became the Bills’ GM four months later.

Not only is Beane still in place despite McDermott’s ouster, but Pegula promoted him to president of football operations/GM on Monday. Beane is now leading the search for McDermott’s replacement.

Five weeks before the Bills cut ties with McDermott, he expressed concerns over the roster in a meeting with Pegula and Beane, Vic Carucci of Sirius XM Radio reports. McDermott pointed out certain ingredients the Bills were missing to win a Super Bowl, which left Pegula and Beane displeased. Pegula publicly stood up for Beane’s roster when discussing McDermott’s firing on Wednesday.

“Great roster,” he said (via Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network). “Good coaching. No Super Bowls… how do we overcome this? One year after another. I just couldn’t see us doing that with Sean (McDermott). That’s why I relieved him.”

It’s unknown which positions McDermott brought up in the meeting, though wide receiver, the run defense, the pass rush and a banged-up secondary were among areas of inconsistency for the team during the season. Beane didn’t make any deals to address the Bills’ weaknesses before the Nov. 4 trade deadline, instead bringing in receiver Brandin Cooks in free agency three weeks later and claiming defensive back Darnell Savage off waivers in early December.

The Savage addition came after the Bills’ claiming of former Steeler Darius Slay blew up in their faces. Slay didn’t report to the Bills, who placed him on the reserve/retired list. Assuming they’d get Slay, the Bills cut Ja’Marcus Ingram and then saw him join the Texans on waivers. McDermott was irked over losing Ingram, a member of the Bills from 2022-25.

“I’m a huge Ja’Marcus Ingram fan, and will always be,” said McDermott. “I want the best for him, so that’s really where my mind is right now.”

Cooks and Savage ended up playing important roles in Buffalo’s loss to Denver, and not in a good way for the Bills. Savage, subbing in during a minor Cam Lewis injury, was burned for a 29-yard touchdown pass near the end of the first half, The Broncos took a 17-10 lead on that score and later went up by double digits, but the Bills fought back to force overtime.

With the game tied at 30 in OT and the Bills driving for the win, Cooks was unable to haul in a Josh Allen deep ball that could have propelled the team to the AFC title game. In one of the most controversial plays of the season, Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian wrestled the ball from Cooks and came away with an interception. The Bills likely would have set up for the winning field goal had it been ruled a catch; instead, their season and the McDermott era are over.

Pegula told the media he decided to part with McDermott after entering a despondent postgame locker room in Denver. The owner concluded the Bills hit“the proverbial playoff wall” and needed to go in another direction (via Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN).

Pegula also revealed that Allen, who has spent his entire eight-year career under McDermott, had no say in the decision (via Wolfe)

“He didn’t have any input at all,” Pegula said. “I didn’t talk to Josh about this. I talked to him after and that convo will stay private but he had no input in it.”

Allen appreciated his run with McDermott, but the reigning MVP continues to have faith in Pegula and Beane, Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News relays. As the face of the franchise, Allen will be involved in the coaching search, per Pegula (via Getzenberg).

Considering Allen is under center and the Bills are coming off their seventh straight season of double-digit wins, Pegula is confident he won’t have any problems landing a capable successor to McDermott. Although Allen will turn 30 in May and still hasn’t won a Super Bowl as he nears the back nine of his career, Pegula won’t tell the next head coach the team’s in championship-or-bust mode in 2026 (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).

“I don’t know about pressure right now, but there’s a lot of people that want to look at taking this job,” Pegula said. “There’s a lot of interest.”

With Allen aiding Pegula, Beane and other Bills bigwigs in their head coaching search, here’s their early list of candidates:

Six of those eight coaches come from the offensive side of the ball. Allen has enjoyed success under Brady and Daboll, and he’s known to have good relationships with the pair. Teammates from 2019-21, Allen and Webb have been close friends for several years.

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Brian Daboll Prefers Titans’ OC Job If Unable To Land HC Post?

By | at January 21, 2026 12:39 pm

Brian Daboll is officially part of the Bills‘ head coaching interview process, receiving a request Wednesday. He will meet with his former team about replacing Sean McDermott. Like Mike McDaniel, however, the recently fired HC is in the mix for multiple coordinator positions.

The Eagles interviewed Daboll for their OC job, but they do not appear to be his preferred choice. If Daboll is unable to land the Buffalo HC job, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini notes he would prefer to end up in Tennessee as Titans OC. The Eagles view Daboll as wanting to return to Buffalo, which certainly makes sense seeing as he is a Western New York native. HC salaries also dwarf coordinator money, in most cases. But a Titans-over-Eagles preference intrigues.

Philadelphia has tremendous talent on that side of the ball, but this is the team’s fourth OC search in four years. The Eagles fired both Brian Johnson and Kevin Patullo after one season apiece, and headlines regarding disgruntled players — A.J. Brown chief among them — have been regular occurrences since the team’s Super Bowl LVII appearance. That said, both Shane Steichen and Kellen Moore have used Philly OC gigs as springboards to HC opportunities.

Tennessee, conversely, has been one of the league’s worst operations over this span. Amy Adams Strunk’s decision to fire Mike Vrabel backfired, and Brian Callahan was done after 23 games. The Titans have hired Robert Saleh, who was believed to be targeting a McDaniel reunion for his OC plan. The Chargers, who interviewed Daboll for their OC job, scuttled that plan by tabbing McDaniel to call plays under Jim Harbaugh. Daboll, however, has come up as a candidate as well. It is believed he will have options despite the downward-trending Giants tenure ending with an in-season firing. The Eagles and Titans aren’t the only teams “pushing hard” to land him as OC, Russini adds.

The Titans will present coordinator options with 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward to develop. Not too much is around Ward presently, with Calvin Ridley expected to be released, but the AFC South team is projected to hold more than $93MM in cap space. No team outflanks them there presently, but after back-to-back three-win seasons, the Titans obviously have plenty of work to do.

More OC jobs will open up as HC posts are filled. The Ravens’ OC job, in particular would provide considerable intrigue, and it is worth wondering if Daboll would consider reprising his role as Bills OC if he is passed over for the HC job. The Titans interviewed Daboll for their HC position, going with Saleh as their retread of choice. Yet, Daboll remains interested in relocating to Nashville. He may need to choose a destination before the Bills determine their OC, but for now, teams are waiting on Daboll’s HC fate in Buffalo.

Nick Sirianni has not called plays in Philly since midway through the 2021 season, providing an interesting opportunity. But with Daboll not believed to want this job, the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane notes the Eagles may need to cast a wider net after their top targets — Daboll and McDaniel — are likely unavailable.

It is not known if Sirianni will give full autonomy to any candidate, McLane adds, but that would have happened with Daboll or McDaniel. The latter did end up interviewing virtually for the Eagles’ job, per the Inquirer’s EJ Smith, but chose the Bolts.

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Joe Brady, Brian Daboll, Anthony Lynn, Grant Udinski Among Bills’ HC Interview Requests; Klint Kubiak On Radar

By | at January 21, 2026 10:31 am

An eventful Bills morning includes a host of candidates to replace Sean McDermott. As expected, offensive coordinator Joe Brady is on that list.

The three-year Buffalo OC will interview to replace his former boss, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports. A former Bills offensive coordinator — Anthony Lynn, currently the Commanders’ run-game coordinator — will also meet about the job, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Lynn, a two-year Bills staffer who finished his tenure as interim HC, will meet about the job Saturday.

[RELATED: 2026 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker]

A name we also heard at the outset of the search process, Brian Daboll, is on the list as well. Daboll, the Bills’ OC from 2018-21, will interview, Russini tweets. Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo will join him. A request also has gone out to Jaguars OC Grant Udinski, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero.

As the Dolphins have hired Jeff Hafley to be their HC, two-year Miami DC Anthony Weaver will likely head elsewhere. Weaver is on the Bills’ HC interview list as well, with Russini confirming he has received a request. Some of the Bills’ meetings will be in Buffalo, some in Florida, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer.

Teams generally veer in a different direction when they fire a head coach, making offense-minded candidates ones to watch closely in this Buffalo search. The Bills are also believed to be monitoring a candidate tied to one of the conference championship-bound teams. Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak is believed to be on the team’s radar, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones notes.

Brady remains in the running for the Cardinals, Ravens and Raiders’ positions. On the radar for some of the jobs already filled, Brady is set to meet with Arizona and has a second Baltimore summit scheduled. He met with the Raiders virtually Sunday. Promoting Brady would be a way for the Bills to ensure continuity for Josh Allen, but given the team’s move to fire McDermott, is continuity what will be sought at this crucial point on the superstar quarterback’s timeline?

While Ken Dorsey was Allen’s OC between Daboll and Brady, the latter two are his most notable coordinators. Daboll was at the wheel when Allen morphed from a raw talent to a superstar, with the OC and Stefon Diggs receiving most of the credit for helping accelerate that development. Daboll, however, is coming off a rough three seasons with the Giants. The 2022 Coach of the Year did oversee an efficient Daniel Jones season in 2022, but he failed to avoid double-digit losses in 2023 and ’24 before being fired early in Jaxson Dart‘s Giants tenure.

Lynn was Buffalo’s OC to close the 2016 season, being elevated two times that year. Originally the Bills’ running backs coach to open Rex Ryan‘s tenure in 2015, Lynn climbed to interim OC and then replaced Ryan the following year. Lynn parlayed that into the Chargers’ HC job. Going 1-for-4 in playoff berths in Los Angeles, Lynn ended up as Dan Campbell‘s first Lions OC. Campbell stripped him of play-calling duties in 2021, leading to a one-and-done Detroit stay. Back on the position coaching tier since, Lynn has been with Washington since 2024.

Anarumo has not been a prominent name in this year’s cycle, but the Colts’ DC met about the Giants’ position. Udinski is deep in the Browns’ HC search, being set for a second interview this week. The 30-year-old made a big jump last year, going from assistant Vikings QBs coach to Jags OC. Udinski is just four months older than Allen.

Weaver is still in the thick of the Steelers and Ravens’ HC races, either being interviewed twice or having a second meeting scheduled with both. The Cardinals have also met with the two-year Miami DC.

Kubiak took meetings during the Seahawks’ bye week, but he is off limits for teams presently. The Bills cannot interview the first-year Seattle play-caller until after the Seahawks’ season ends. Kubiak is still up for the Cardinals, Ravens and Raiders’ positions.

The Bills have gone defense with their past two hires — Ryan and McDermott. Those represent the only HC hires of Terry Pegula‘s ownership tenure. Pegula bought the team during Doug Marrone‘s two-year run, which ended when the coach opted out of his contract following the 2014 season. Pegula and Brandon Beane, promoted to president of football ops, will be the key players in Buffalo’s first HC search in nine years.

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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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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 1-22-26 (2:15pm CT)

Offensive Coordinators

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens 

Detroit Lions (Out: John Morton)

Kansas City Chiefs (Out: Matt Nagy)

Los Angeles Chargers (Out: Greg Roman)

Miami Dolphins (Out: Frank Smith)

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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Latest On Sean McDermott’s Firing; Ravens, Steelers, Titans Potential Suitors?

By | at January 19, 2026 11:07 pm

The Bills’ 2025 season and Sean McDermott‘s tenure as their head coach ended with a 33-30 divisional round loss to the Broncos on Saturday. McDermott received his walking papers after falling short of a Super Bowl bid for a ninth straight year, but his firing on Monday came as a surprise to him and just about everyone else.

McDermott still believed his job was safe after the Denver game, Tim Graham of The Athletic reports. The 51-year-old continued with business as usual Sunday in conducting exit interviews at One Bills Drive. Owner Terry Pegula canned McDermott a day later and promoted the head coach’s longtime running mate, general manager Brandon Beane, to president of football operations/GM.

Beane will lead the search to replace McDermott, who went an excellent 106-58 (including 8-8 in the playoffs), earned eight playoff berths and won five division titles in his first head coaching stint.

Now one of the most accomplished coaches available, McDermott figures to draw interest from at least some teams with openings. Indeed, there are clubs that “want to move quickly” on McDermott, though some of their key decision-makers were busy conducting in-person meetings with other head coaching candidates on Monday, according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic.

The Dolphins are hiring Jeff Hafley, while the Giants reeled in John Harbaugh and the Falcons brought in Kevin Stefanski. That leaves the Cardinals, Ravens, Browns, Raiders, Steelers and Titans as 2026 possibilities for McDermott. The Ravens, Steelers and Titans may be the most logical fits, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network says.

After eight years with Josh Allen as his quarterback, heading to Baltimore as Harbaugh’s replacement would enable McDermott to work with a second straight MVP-winning signal-caller, Lamar Jackson.

The Steelers don’t have QB figured out for 2026 (Aaron Rodgers‘ return may still be on the table), which could turn off McDermott, but he’d land with a perennial playoff contender. The club didn’t post a sub-.500 record in any of its 19 years under Mike Tomlin, McDermott’s college teammate at William & Mary, and is coming off an AFC North-winning campaign. Hiring McDermott would represent a significant change in course for the Steelers, though. Their only three head coaching choices since 1969 – Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and then Tomlin – were all 30-somethings with no prior experience in the role.

Baltimore and Pittsburgh typically expect to contend each year, but that hasn’t been the case in Tennessee in recent seasons. The Titans have gone an awful 19-49 during their four-year playoff drought, meaning McDermott or any other potential hire will face a tall task in attempting to lead the franchise back to relevance. It wouldn’t be new territory for McDermott, who arrived in Buffalo in 2017 looking to revive an organization that was mired in a 17-year playoff drought. He guided the Bills back to the playoffs in his first season, the beginning of a long run of success.

The cupboard isn’t bare in Tennessee, which drafted QB Cam Ward No. 1 overall in 2025. The next coaching staff will aim to to develop Ward into a franchise passer. The Titans will also enter the offseason with a boatload of cap space and the No. 4 pick in the draft. A quick turnaround could be in store if the Titans make the right head coaching hire, though it’s unknown if the position appeals to McDermott. For now, Matt Nagy is reportedly the leading candidate for the job.

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Ravens Plan Second HC Interview With Bills OC Joe Brady

By | at January 19, 2026 10:34 pm

The Ravens are planning to host Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady for a second head coaching interview this week, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Brady, 36, just completed his first interview with the Ravens on Sunday. He must have impressed the team’s decision-makers, as they are already seeking another meeting.

Baltimore may also be moving quickly to evaluate Brady before the Bills get too deep into their search process to replace Sean McDermott. Brady is an obvious candidate to become Buffalo’s next head coach given his familiarity with Josh Allen and role in building their offense.

That success is likely the main reason the Ravens were interested in Brady in the first place. He first arrived in Buffalo as the Bills’ quarterbacks coach in 2022 after a short, unsuccessful stint as the Panthers’ offensive coordinator. During the 2023 season, Brady was promoted to offensive coordinator to replace Ken Dorsey and engineered a stronger, more balanced unit for the rest of the year.

The Bills have continued to operate as one of the best offenses in the league under Brady, which has led to head coaching interest from multiple teams. In addition to the Ravens, he interviewed with the Raiders, Giants, and Dolphins. He is all but certain to land an interview with his current team as well.

Here is a full overview of the Ravens’ head coaching search:

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