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.