The Buffalo Bills made the surprise announcement on Friday that the franchise is considering former NFL quarterback Philip Rivers as its next head coach, having interviewed him the same day for the team’s vacant position.
Naturally, there is a lot of risk in hiring a coach with little to no coaching experience in the NFL, but being that Rivers is a Hall of Fame-bound former quarterback of the league, who just last month returned to the field for three games, the decision to consider him for the job is, at the very least, incredibly intriguing.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter gave Bills Mafia the hope they needed on the Pat McAfee Show on Friday to avoid feeling as though the franchise is losing its mind by entertaining Rivers as its next head coach.
Adam Schefter frames Philip Rivers as more than just an intriguing long-shot candidate for Bills' open head coach job
“My understanding is that he was ready when he was being called into that interview today in Florida,” Schefter said, coincidentally chatting with McAfee on the air as Rivers’ interview with the Bills was happening in real time. “I'm gonna be really surprised if Philip Rivers doesn't wow them in the interview."
"My understanding is that Philip Rivers was ready to go for this interview..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 23, 2026
I'm gonna be really surprised if he doesn't wow the Bills in this interview" ~ @AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/w9d2i1piSA
Schefter seemed fairly confident that Rivers would crush his interview, and given that this doesn’t appear to be a “kicking the tires” situation, that’s good news to Bills Mafia as they try to make sense of the entire situation.
“Again, here's the thing, Philip Rivers, that’s just who he is. Like, he elevates people. He raises up people,” Schefter added later. “He’s never been the head coach of a NFL team, he’s been the head coach of a high school team, but this is his chance to present his ideas and his perspective to see whether or not he’s ready for a job like that.”
For what it’s worth, if Rivers demonstrated anything in his three December games after four seasons away from the NFL, it’s that his football mind is as sharp as ever. Rivers’ first action back on a football field was against arguably the best defense in the NFL in 2025, the Seattle Seahawks, on their turf no less.
Rivers completed 66% of his passes in that game and brought the Colts within two points of knocking off a team hoping to punch its ticket to the Super Bowl this weekend.
It goes without saying that Rivers is one of the greatest quarterbacks in league history, even if he didn’t enjoy much postseason success in his career. He orchestrated incredible offenses throughout his initial 17-year career, and in Buffalo with Josh Allen at his disposal, it stands to reason he could build something just as strong with the Bills.
Still, hiring Rivers isn’t without its own risks, especially with greater context in the NFL history books. Hopefully, Schefter’s confidence in Rivers isn’t misplaced if he eventually lands the job.