When news broke that the Buffalo Bills had fired Sean McDermott two days after their divisional round loss against the Denver Broncos, it sent shockwaves across the NFL. Since 2017, McDermott helped Buffalo build the winning culture it is today. At the same time, what he had accomplished just simply wasn’t enough.
Even through the division titles, building the culture, and bringing in a winning program back to Buffalo, the Bills never reached the Super Bowl despite having Josh Allen under center. With that, the Bills are heading in a new direction with Joe Brady as their next head coach. Whether fans like it or not, it’s happening.
While fans were wondering if McDermott would be a head coach in 2026, that doesn’t seem to be the case. McDermott is taking the year off but should very well be a top head coaching candidate next offseason.
Even though it’s the summer and training camp will kick off next month, it’s never too early to start thinking about the current head coaches that could be on the hot seat this upcoming season, and start to see the options that McDermott could have by the end of the 2026 season.
5 teams Sean McDermott could make a run at for next head coaching job in 2027
Philadelphia Eagles
When it comes to the Eagles, they are one of the best-ran organizations but there are constant high expectations. We have seen Nick Sirianni have success with two Super Bowl appearances and also winning one. However, the Eagles’ high-pressure expectations could lead to changes at any moment.
Philadelphia has gone under a good amount of coordinator changes for various reasons. At the end of the day, Sirianni needs quality coordinators in order for this team to succeed. If Philly falls short in 2026, there could be a ton of conversations on whether or not Sirianni remains as the head coach. If he doesn’t, McDermott could have the chance to land there seeing as how he was with the organization from 1999-2010 in various roles.
Indianapolis Colts
It was a surprise that the Colts opted to keep both Chris Ballard and Shane Steichen for the 2026 season. If they don’t make the situation with Daniel Jones work after the Colts brought him back, the Colts could very well be a team that is looking for a new regime on the sideline and even in the front office.
We had the chance to talk with Colts Site Expert, Lee Vowell from Horseshoe Heroes, about a situation where the Colts could be a landing spot for McDermott:
"The Indianapolis Colts haven't made the playoffs since 2020, so general manager Chris Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen likely need to make the postseason this coming season to keep their jobs. Since Steichen became the coach in 2023, he is just 7-22 against teams with winning records when Indy played them." said Vowell.
"Should the team look to make a change, they could move toward a defensive-minded head coach. With Sauce Gardner and some good young talent, a defensive improvement molded by McDermott could be just the thing to lead the Colts toward long-term success." said Vowell.
If the Colts were to move on from Steichen, they could change up their philosophy of having an offensive coach and going towards the defense.
Cincinnati Bengals
Much like Steichen and the Colts, Zac Taylor and the Cincinnati Bengals could be heading towards a separation if the Bengals fall short again in 2026. Now granted, it isn’t Taylor’s fault when injuries pop up on the roster but he should still be able to get the best of the roster no matter what.
With the Bengals trading for Dexter Lawrence prior to the NFL Draft and revamping the defense a bit to help support the offense, Taylor faces pressure to deliver. If the Bengals fall short and decide to let him go, McDermott would inherit a similar setup in Cincinnati like he had in Buffalo with a great quarterback and great weapons on the offense, which would allow him to focus on the defense.
New York Jets
A lot of people had thought that Aaron Glenn was going to be gone after one season with the Jets, but they are running it back in 2026. While the Jets have had a pretty solid offseason, it will be up to Glenn to improve from last season. Considering how the Jets did in his first season, Glenn should be able to make massive improvements.
However, if he doesn’t and the Jets continue to be a joke amongst the NFL, the Jets could very well move on from Glenn. What if McDermott took a job to come back to the AFC East where he could face the Bills twice a season? Not to mention, McDermott knows just how tough the Jets play against the Bills. This would cause a lot of mixed emotions amongst Bills Mafia.
San Francisco 49ers
I’m going with a massive bold prediction here. When you think about Sean McDermott and Kyle Shanahan, they have a lot more in common than you think in terms of head coaching success. Both of them are great in the regular season, but they have fallen short of a Super Bowl. Shanahan has been to the Super Bowl twice, but lost both of them to the Kansas City Chiefs. In four of the last five seasons, the 49ers have had 10+ wins in the regular season, but it's been the same result in the playoffs.
Shanahan enters his 10th season as the head coach of the 49ers but if they come up short again, especially in the playoffs, there could very well be a possibility that what happened with McDermott happens with Shanahan. If that is the case, the 49ers could be an ideal landing spot for McDermott as they have fantastic defensive players, and key offensive players to work with.
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