Report: McDermott begins learning tour with Rams

McDermott crossed paths with Bucs GM Jason Licht nearly two decades ago when both men were with the Eagles. It’s unclear what role the Bucs had in mind for McDermott, but it’s a moot point. He is expected to take the year off and evaluate potential openings in 2027. We fully expect him to find another job as a head coach at that time.

As Rapoport notes in his report, McDermott has not engaged with any coaching openings across the league, a signal that he could temporarily step away. Rap also adds that McDermott has spoken to other coaches who have taken a year away, who said the time off was “beneficial and worth it.” We’re less than a week removed from McDermott’s firing after the Bills lost to the Broncos in the Divisional Round, so it’s still possible he considers some openings, even as a defensive coordinator, once jobs continue to fill. That said, the fact he hasn’t spoken with any teams yet regarding their vacancies is certainly noteworthy.

McDermott reportedly lost out in a massive power struggle with general manager Brandon Beane, who not only kept his job after assembling a mediocre roster, but was promoted to president of football operations. Beane will oversee the evaluation and hiring of McDermott’s replacement after nine successful years at the helm. Carruci said that during a meeting held five weeks ago between McDermott, Beane and Bills owner Terry Pegula, “the coach pointed out what the roster lacked to win a Super Bowl. I don’t know the specifics McDermott mentioned, but I’m told neither Beane nor Pegula was pleased with McDermott’s assessment.” Having won the power struggle, Beane will now have the chance to shape the franchise in his image as Josh Allen turns 30 in May.

“It doesn’t make a ton of sense for him to go into a total rebuild” per Pelissero, who rules out Arizona and Las Vegas as landing spots for McDermott. Pelissero mentions that McDermott would be outside of the normal bucket the Steelers hire from, and says Baltimore “makes a lot of sense” while the Titans brass has mutual ties to McDermott from his work with Andy Reid. Seeing McDermott coach Lamar Jackson might be the funniest idea we’ve ever heard of, so of course we’re for it. The Titans also seem like a reasonable landing spot.

The recently-fired McDermott will be one of the hottest names on the market and is now free to speak with other teams. With seven other teams still looking to secure their next head coach, McDermott will have plenty of suitors to consider as interviews start lining up. McDermott led the Bills to eight postseason births in his nine years at the helm, while going 98-50 in the regular season. Even if he’s unable to land a head coaching gig, McDermott will be in high-demand for several defensive coordinator positions that need filled.

Another playoff loss to an AFC West team, this time the Broncos, was the final straw for McDermott. With the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, and Lamar Jackson all watching from home. McDermott’s Bills again came up short in Saturday’s Divisional Round loss to the Broncos. McDermott heavily blamed a controversial interception on an apparent catch by Brandin Cooks for the latest shortcoming. He finishes his Bills tenure with a 98-50 record after being hired by the team in 2017 and had only one losing season in his nine years at the helm. McDermott led the Bills to five-straight division titles from 2020 to 2024, but finished second to an emerging Patriots team this season. The Bills will now become the most coveted job opening in the NFL, as they will likely line up several potential head coaching candidates in the coming days. Current offensive coordinator Joe Brady will likely receive an interview as a potential in-house candidate, but we would expect the Bills to cast a wide net in hopes of bringing in a coach who can capitalize on the remainder of Josh Allen’s prime in hopes of delivering the Bills their first ever Super Bowl. McDermott, should he wish to continue as a head coach in 2026, should also generate plenty of interest with seven other head coaching vacancies still open across the league.

Schefter said McDermott’s job status for 2026 could hinge on winning at least one postseason game in the midst of Josh Allen’s career prime. McDermott since he was hired as Buffalo’s head coach in 2017 is 104-57, mostly dominating a weak AFC East. The Patriots’ rise to prominence with Drake Maye at quarterback has pushed the Bills out of the top spot in the division, and the Bills’ offensive struggles in 2025 raise real questions about whether the team is squandering Allen’s best years. McDermott could be out if the Bills lose in the Wild Card round.

The Bills played the long game in the first round of the draft, trading down once from 28 to 32 and then again from 32 to 33. A receiver was drafted with the pick they gave up both times. The Bills, in need of a wideout themselves, reportedly have multiple players they “really like” at No. 33. If that’s the case, they could move down once again and still have a shot at landing one of their guys.

After the sudden departure of Leslie Frazier last offseason, McDermott took over play-calling for the Bills’ defense and helped lead them to a top-five finish in points allowed and a top-10 finish in yards allowed per game. If it’s not McDermott calling plays, that duty would be handed over to defensive coordinator Bobby Babich, who was promoted to defensive coordinator earlier this offseason. Babich has been with the Bills since 2017 but has never held a defensive coordinator title at any level.

The game had initially been postponed from Sunday at 1 p.m. ET to Monday due to a travel ban in Western New York. A snowstorm led to white out conditions in Buffalo that made playing the game and getting to the field near impossible. There was some concern that the continued snowstorm in Buffalo would cause the game to be delayed again, but New York Governor Kathy Hochul shot that down on Sunday. “The game will not be pushed back again.” Governor Hochul says conditions should be much better than would’ve been this afternoon. Temperature will be in teens but not as much blowing snow.