When the Buffalo Bills fired head coach Sean McDermott, many had a similar reaction. It felt too little too late, in this cycle, with names like John Harbaugh and Kevin Stefanski already securing jobs.
But, Terry Pegula and Brandon Beane had a plan ... right?
Right?
After what ended up being a total embarrassment of a press conference from Beane and Pegula, the coaching search began. There were several names lined up for the Bills to speak to, but then on Friday, a shocking candidate entered the chat.
ESPN's Adam Schefter confirmed the Bills were set to interview former NFL quarterback and current St. Michael Catholic High School head coach, Philip Rivers, for their head coaching vacancy.
Terry Pegula and Sean McDermott just threw a wild card into the Bills' head coaching plans
Just as everyone else might be thinking, I too am thinking, "WHAT?"
This isn't news anyone would have expected. It isn't even close to a "surprise" candidate Bills fans would have anticipated. It comes at a funny time, too, because Rivers just finished his NFL comeback after un-retiring and trying to help the Colts deal with a season-ending injury to Daniel Jones.
Of course, the comeback didn't go as planned as Rivers' age certainly showed. He could still sling it a little bit, but having been out of the league for five years, you could tell.
As for what Rivers would bring to the table as a head coach, it might sound crazy to entertain the idea, but hang with me here for a moment.
First of all, I think it's safe to say that no one expects Rivers to get the job.
But, let's look at some positives.
Rivers is a former player, so he understands the game from that point of view. Many former players go on to be excellent assistants, at the very least. But, Rivers is a future Hall of Fame player. He is a quarterback, which means everything. Josh Allen is arguably the best in the game, and having a former quarterback as a head coach isn't a negative by any means.
Not to mention, Rivers is a football genius. He was and still is one of the smartest guys in the game.
Clearly, Rivers was always an outgoing leader and motivator. So, the Bills would have that going for them. He's quite the personality difference from McDermott, to say the least.
There are plenty of other more qualified candidates, surely. But, does it hurt to interview Rivers? Not at all. Maybe, this is just the beginning and, eventually, Rivers winds up being a coach in this league.