The Buffalo Bills have been one of the best teams in the NFL entering their Week 9 "Monday Night Football" game against the Minnesota Vikings, posting a 6-1 record to establish themselves as a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
Buffalo has achieved those heights despite making a coaching change ahead of the 2026 NFL season.
The Bills moved on from Sean McDermott after nine seasons with the team. McDermott led the Bills to consistent success but was never able to lead them to a Super Bowl.
Buffalo promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady from within to help replace McDermott. The 37-year-old is the league's youngest current head coach and has helped the Bills sport one of the league's best offenses amid their torrid start to the season.
Meanwhile,
McDermott is still awaiting his next coaching opportunity, and the 52-year-old figures to be one of the top candidates for the 2027 hiring cycle as he seeks an NFL return.
Here's what to know about McDermott's departure from the Bills and where he will rank among the top coaching candidates of the 2027 NFL offseason.
What happened to Sean McDermott?
The Bills fired McDermott after the 2025 NFL season, following the team's 33-30 loss to the Denver Broncos in the divisional round of the playoffs.
Bills owner Terry Pegula announced the decision in a statement on Jan. 19.
"Sean has done an [admirable] job of leading our football team for the past nine seasons," the statement read. "But I feel we are in need of a new structure within our leadership to give this organization the best opportunity to take our team to the next level. We owe that to our players and to Bills Mafia."
"Sean helped change the mindset of this organization and was instrumental in the Bills becoming a perennial playoff team," Pegula added. "I respect all the work, loyalty and attention to detail he showed for this team and the community."
Why did the Bills fire Sean McDermott?
Pegula made it clear the Bills' decision to fire McDermott was directly tied to Buffalo's playoff loss to Denver.
"It was where does the leadership of the team, on the field and in the locker room, where [do] we go from that moment, another playoff failure?" Pegula told reporters during a Jan. 21 news conference. "That's why I decided Sean had to leave."
McDermott's firing came on the heels of a 12-5 season during which the Bills made the playoffs for a seventh consecutive season. Many believed Buffalo would have a chance to enjoy a quality postseason run with the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs all missing the playoffs, but the Bills only made it to the divisional round.
While McDermott led Buffalo to the playoffs in eight of his nine seasons, he posted an 8-8 record across those postseason appearances. The Bills never made it to the Super Bowl under his tutelage and only twice made it as far as the AFC championship game, which was part of what led Pegula to go in a different direction ahead of the 2026 season.
Sean McDermott career record
McDermott posted a 98-50 regular-season record with the Bills across his nine seasons with the team. They only had one losing season across his tenure, but he only posted an 8-8 record during the postseason.
Below is a year-by-year look at McDermott's results with the Bills:
- 2017: 9-7; lost in wild-card round
- 2018: 6-10; missed playoffs
- 2019: 10-6; lost in wild-card round
- 2020: 13-3; lost in AFC championship game
- 2021: 11-6; lost in divisional round
- 2022: 13-3; lost in divisional round
- 2023: 11-6; lost in divisional round
- 2024: 13-4; lost in AFC championship game
- 2025: 12-5; lost in divisional round
Does Sean McDermott still want to coach?
McDermott is not currently coaching, but he is hoping to get another crack at a head coaching job. He made his intentions clear to NFL Media's Rich Eisen in an early-September interview on the host's self-titled radio show.
"I want to coach again," McDermott told Eisen. "I want to be a head coach in the NFL, and I've got this burning desire in my heart to win a world championship, and to take that to an organization and a fan base. I owe that to myself, but I also owe that to the next organization that I work for, because I want to build on the success that we had in Buffalo."
McDermott acknowledged that he was spending his time away from football reflecting on his tenure in Buffalo, assessing what went we well and what he would do differently should he get a second chance.
McDermott also revealed he was talking to members of Bills organization to get their opinions on what he could improve upon.
NFL top coaching candidates: Where does Sean McDermott rank?
McDermott should be one of the top coaching candidates on the market during the 2027 NFL offseason. Below is a look at the other top talents who could draw consideration for head coaching roles next season.
Mike Tomlin, former Pittsburgh Steelers coach
Tomlin led the Steelers to a 193-114-2 record across 19 seasons in Pittsburgh and won a Super Bowl while in charge of the franchise. He famously never had a losing season, and his steady performance will certainly endear him to NFL organizations looking for a proven culture-builder to improve their operations.
Tomlin stepped down from the Steelers following the 2025 NFL season and is currently working as a studio analyst for NBC. It isn't yet clear whether he will be willing to return to the sidelines or if he will remain comfortable in the booth for the time being.
Sean McDermott, former Buffalo Bills coach
McDermott's track record of consistency with the Bills should go a long way toward helping him earn a second chance at the NFL level. He's a strong, defensive-minded coach and has shown an ability to bring in quality offensive coordinators, with Brady being among the best hires of his tenure.
McDermott should get plenty of interviews during the 2027 offseason, as his lack of current NFL employment will allow him to interview for any roles that open up during the current season.
Brian Flores, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator
The Vikings have gotten off to a 6-1 start to the 2026 NFL season, and it has largely been on the back of Flores' top-rated defense. His aggressive, blitz-heavy attack has helped Minnesota rank second league-wide in defensive EPA per play and first in pressure rate, per the NFL's Next Gen Stats, and the system has proven to be transferrable across all of Flores' NFL stops.
Any NFL organization looking to improve its defense should be interested in bringing Flores aboard as a transformational hire on that side of the ball. But Flores is still embroiled in a discrimination lawsuit against the NFL, and it isn't clear whether that legal process will make any teams apprehensive about hiring him.
Grant Udinski, Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator
Udinski is just 30 years old, but he's a rising star in the coaching ranks. He has helped the Jaguars become one of the NFL's best and most efficient offenses during the 2026 season, and his ability to scheme players open should make him a hot commodity on the coaching market.
Udinski would be one of the NFL's youngest-ever coaches, but NFL owners have been more willing than ever to follow the Sean McVay blueprint and take chances on young coaches. That could give Udinski a path toward earning a coaching job even with just seven years of NFL coaching experience.
Declan Doyle, Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator
Doyle is in a similar boat to Udinski. He's just 30 years old, but he has enjoyed a rapid rise over the last two seasons, finding success working as Ben Johnson's offensive coordinator in 2025 before getting a chance to call his own plays with the Ravens this season.
Doyle's candidacy may depend on what he's able to do with the Ravens offense as they navigate injuries to quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley. If Doyle can find success with Jacoby Brissett, that could got a long way toward earning interviews during the upcoming coaching cycle.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What happened to Sean McDermott? Former Bills HC is a top NFL coaching candidate
