Rex Ryan floats Bill Belichick idea after Bills fire Sean McDermott

The Buffalo Bills surprised some members of the NFL community when they confirmed that they had relieved head coach Sean McDermott of his duties less than 48 hours after the Bills suffered a brutal 33-30 overtime loss to the Denver Broncos in the divisional round of the postseason tournament. 

During Monday's edition of the ESPN "Get Up" program, former Buffalo head coach and current analyst Rex Ryan suggested that Bills ownership should reach out to North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick about a possible return to the NFL.

Would Bill Belichick guide the Bills, Josh Allen to a Super Bowl berth?

"Get the guy that has proven he can go to a Super Bowl — and by the way, win what? Six with Tom Brady," Ryan said while referencing Belichick, per Meredith Perri of MassLive. "That’s the only guy, in my opinion, you replace Sean McDermott with."

In a statement released Monday morning, Bills owner Terry Pegula said he felt that moving on from McDermott could "give this organization the best opportunity to take our team to the next level." The combination of McDermott and star quarterback Josh Allen guided the Bills to zero Super Bowl appearances and went 0-4 against the Kansas City Chiefs in postseason play from January 2021 through last winter. More recently, Allen committed four turnovers in Buffalo's loss to Denver. 

Meanwhile, the Belichick-Brady duo went 6-3 in Super Bowl games from February 2002 through February 2019. Without Brady, Belichick's Patriots failed to make the playoffs three times across four seasons before team owner Robert Kraft took his franchise in a different direction in January 2024. 

Under Belichick, the 2025 Tar Heels finished the campaign with a record of 4-8. 

"If anyone thinks Bill Belichick has lost it, you have lost it," Ryan continued during the segment. "No, he hasn’t. He’s just not meant for college football, alright? He’s on a way different level than those kids in college, alright? Trust me. I’m telling you, I feel it in my bones that Belichick is the guy." 

Would Bill Belichick leave North Carolina to coach the Bills?

Belichick needs 15 wins to break Don Shula's NFL record for career victories earned by a head coach (including the regular season and the playoffs). In theory, Belichick likely wouldn't need more than two seasons to accomplish that goal. 

However, the 73-year-old has insisted he is "excited" about "building a good program" at North Carolina. As of the time Ryan spoke, there was no indication that the Buffalo job becoming available would cause Belichick to experience a change of heart. 

"You’ve got the chance to hire the greatest head coach in the history of our sport," Ryan added about why the Bills should reach out to Belichick. 

It's unknown if Pegula and Bills general manager/president of football operations Brandon Beane would have any interest in speaking with Belichick following Monday's developments. If they would, some seem convinced the living legend would be open to chat about an available NFL gig.