The Buffalo Bills promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady to become the club's head coach. Continuity was ostensibly a notable determinant, though apparently, the status of another candidate may have also factored into the equation.
Bills president of football operations and general manager Brandon Beane discussed the process behind Brady's elevation ($) with Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News. During their conversation, it was revealed that the team's interest in 18-year NFL quarterback Philip Rivers was real.
By the sound of it, Beane was more than open to hiring Rivers. However, the latter's devotion to duty (or lack thereof), among other components, seemingly led the Bills to roll with Brady.
Brandon Beane reveals just how close the Bills were to hiring Philip Rivers over Joe Brady
There was doubt over whether Rivers was a serious option, even after NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that this was the case. And in fairness, the skepticism made sense, considering the 44-year-old has never coached beyond the high school level. Yet, Beane reinforced the notion that the Bills were legitimately receptive to going against the grain.
Beane said that Rivers "did a great job" during the interview process. Moreover, the former added that he'd "be surprised" if the latter wasn't "in the mix" when the Bills were ready to name their new leader. Ultimately, it came down to desire.
"Do you really want this job?" Beane asked Rivers following their meeting about the Bills' vacancy. Eventually, the eight-time Pro Bowler realized that the idea of guiding a Josh Allen-led Buffalo squad was better in theory than in practice.
" ... Beane got a call back. Rivers' voice was cracking," Skurski wrote. "The opportunity to work with Josh Allen was one that was hard to pass up, but Rivers told Beane that he did have some doubt as to whether he could be fully committed right now."
It's hard to blame Rivers, a father of 10 (and a grandfather), for being hesitant about uprooting his entire family. Especially for a situation that comes with immense pressure to win now. So, he decided to withdraw himself from consideration, and the Bills moved forward with Brady.
Rivers famously made the choice to return to the Indianapolis Colts and the league after being retired for five years down the stretch of 2025. The experiment predictably failed, though it at least brought him to recognize that his heart may no longer be in the game.