The Buffalo Bills are still coming to their conclusions on who the next head coach will be. Terry Pegula, Brandon Beane, and Josh Allen have met with nine head coaching candidates since Sean McDermott was fired last week.
While McDermott commanded the sidelines for the past nine seasons as a defensive-minded head coach, the Bills seem to be pointed toward a more offensively inclined direction this time around. Seven of the nine coaches the franchise has interviewed come from offensive backgrounds, and many have experience working with Allen, too.
Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski is a bit of an outlier in that regard. That’s not new for the 30-year-old coach in this hiring cycle, but the thought of Udinski working with Allen has some of the league’s brightest minds quite intrigued.
Daniel Jeremiah signals strong alignment between Buffalo Bills and Jags OC Grant Udinski
NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah, in reaction to the news on Monday that Udinski had pulled his name from consideration in Cleveland, leaving his coaching options in 2026 down to either returning to Jacksonville or taking over in Buffalo, gave a ringing endorsement of the upstart coach.
“I’ve never met Udinski but smart guys in the league absolutely love him. He makes a lot of sense for the Bills. I’d love to see him paired with Josh Allen,” Jeremiah said on X.
I’ve never met Udinski but smart guys in the league absolutely love him. He makes a lot of sense for the Bills. I’d love to see him paired with Josh Allen. https://t.co/2PeKcP4UD0
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) January 26, 2026
Udinski did great work in 2025 alongside first-year head coach Liam Coen, not only revitalizing the Jaguars franchise to an AFC South title and the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoff bracket, but also in course-correcting Trevor Lawrence’s career. Udinski didn’t call plays, but his hands were all over the passing game, and it helped Lawrence turn in one of the strongest seasons of his career.
Of course, it’s not as though Allen needs saving. He’s only two years removed from an MVP season, and some of his 2025 statistics even exceeded those from the MVP campaign. While the Bills need to make personnel decisions at wide receiver to help Allen out, a mind like Udinski’s could help fill in the gaps otherwise.
That said, the Bills are also interested in the likes of Brian Daboll, their own offensive coordinator Joe Brady, and added Davis Webb to the candidate list officially on Monday with his interview. The team could wait on Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak for an interview as well. Each of those names, even Brady, who is just 36, has been calling plays in the NFL for much longer than Udinski has been in the league.
Still, Udinski has tight connections in the Sean McVay coaching tree, the man whose youngest coach record he’d be breaking if the Bills hire him. Certainly, if Udinski does land the head coaching job, he’d have to make great, and fast, use of those connections to build his staff.
No doubt, there’s plenty of risk in the Bills hiring a head coach who is just four months older than the starting quarterback, and younger than 12 players on the 2025 roster. But when folks like Jeremiah are perking up at the thought of pairing Udinski with Allen, it’s worth the Mafia’s attention. Now, fans will wait to see whether Udinski is as high on the Bills’ list as they are on his, and as high as he appears to be on others'.