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Bills job should be No. 1 in coaching cycle after McDermott firing

Former Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott. Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Bills job should be No. 1 in coaching cycle after Sean McDermott firing

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Jan 20, 2026 9:06 AM ET

Who wouldn't want to coach Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen?

The Bills are now searching for a new head coach after firing Sean McDermott on Monday, an unexpected move. The coach went 98-50 in the regular season in nine seasons with the team but failed to lead it past the AFC Championship Game. His latest postseason flop was a 33-30 loss to the Denver Broncos on Saturday in the AFC divisional round.

Bills general manager Brandon Beane will lead the search for a new head coach. Although it's later in the coaching cycle, don't be surprised if he finds a quality replacement for McDermott soon. Buffalo is now the top destination for head-coaching candidates.

Why Bills are best destination in coaching cycle

Two of the top coaches in the hiring cycle, Kevin Stefanski (Atlanta Falcons) and John Harbaugh (New York Giants), have already accepted other jobs. They may now have second thoughts, knowing they missed an opportunity to coach Allen.

Bills general manager Brandon Beane now will lead Buffalo’s search for a new head coach. https://t.co/cEeQPQn3VN
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 19, 2026

Allen won league MVP during the 2024 season and once again posted excellent numbers in 2025. In 17 regular-season games, the QB tied for ninth in the NFL in touchdown passes (25) and ranked seventh in QBR (65.3).

Allen — who signed a six-year, $330M contract extension before the start of the 2025 season — turns 30 on May 21. However, he has proved durable throughout his career thus far. The 2018 first-round pick has missed just four games because of injury in his eight-year career. That should keep the Bills' Super Bowl window open.

The Bills have won five AFC East titles in the past six seasons. In 2025, the New England Patriots (14-3) won the division, but Buffalo went 12-5 in the regular season.

The Bills could contact former Pittsburgh Steelers HC Mike Tomlin, but he doesn't seem interested in coaching next season. Buffalo could also promote offensive coordinator Joe Brady or target Brian Daboll. The Athletic's Dianna Russini noted the former Giants HC is already popping up in Buffalo's head-coaching search.

Talking to NFL executives around the league about Buffalo’s next head coach options, the name that keeps coming up is a familiar one, a Buffalo native and someone Josh Allen loves: Brian Daboll.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) January 19, 2026

Daboll became close with Allen when he was Buffalo's OC (2018-21). Despite that, the team should remember his tenure with the Giants was a flop as he went 20-40-1 in four seasons.

The Bills shouldn't rush their hiring process. Allen makes their head-coaching vacancy the most attractive in the cycle, giving them time to find a coach who can help the generational QB hoist his first Lombardi Trophy.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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