After failing to reach the Super Bowl with Josh Allen yet again, the Buffalo Bills decided to fire Sean McDermott. McDermott was in charge for nine years, but Buffalo decided to make a change to try to win a Super Bowl.
Who will that coach be? Let’s break down the odds on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Bills next head coach odds
The Buffalo Bills were hugely successful in the regular season under Sean McDermott, but never made a Super Bowl appearance. From the time that Sean McDermott took over in 2017, only the Chiefs won more regular-season games than the Bills. However, during that time, Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid won three Super Bowls, while Josh Allen and Sean McDermott didn’t even make one. It seemed like this was the year for the Bills to get it done with the Chiefs and Ravens both missing the playoffs, but the Bills failed to win the division and lost in the Divisional Round. The Patriots are once again one of the best teams in the NFL, and the Bills decided they needed to make a change before this window closed.
The Bills’ job is one of the most desirable on the market, despite the craziness of this coaching carousel. Most coaches in the NFL would love the opportunity to coach Josh Allen, the reigning NFL MVP. Brandon Beane was recently promoted from General Manager to President of Football Operations. Beane now controls the entire football operation in Buffalo. However, Allen is likely to have a big part in who the Bills hire as their new head coach as well.
In a wild twist, the Bills have also interviewed Philip Rivers for their head coaching vacancy. Rivers came out of retirement to start a couple of games for the Colts this year, following the injury to Daniel Jones. However, Rivers has spent most of his time since retiring from the NFL coaching high school football. If Rivers got hired, he would be the first full-time NFL head coach since 1961 with no prior college or NFL coaching experience. It seems like a long shot because of that lack of experience, but Josh Allen looks up to Rivers, and it could be the strange twist they need to shake things up.
Joe Brady or Brian Daboll?
The top two candidates on the odds board are two of Josh Allen’s offensive coordinators. The favorite for the job, Brian Daboll, was Allen’s offensive coordinator for some of the best seasons of his career. Daboll then took the Giants’ head coaching job, where he had mixed success before getting fired earlier this season. Daboll’s offense was, unsurprisingly, always at its best with Josh Allen running it. It would be a great hire for the Bills to bring in someone with head coaching experience who also has a great relationship with Allen.
The other top candidate is current offensive coordinator Joe Brady. Brady was the playcaller who got Josh Allen an MVP, and Allen has been great in Brady’s offense. The main detractor for Brady is that he has no head coaching experience. Internally promoting Brady would also somewhat defeat the purpose of wiping the slate clean after firing McDermott. It could ultimately be up to which offense Josh Allen would rather run to determine who gets hired between Brady and Daboll.
The other top candidates are Seahawks Offensive Coordinator Klint Kubiak and Broncos Quarterbacks Coach Davis Webb. Kubiak is one of the hottest names on the market after Sam Darnold had such an excellent season with the Seahawks. However, Kubiak is another coach with no experience as the head honcho, which could be a detractor. Meanwhile, Davis Webb is even more inexperienced. Webb was just playing in the NFL as recently as 2022, before working on the Broncos’ offensive staff the past three years. Webb has gotten acclaim for the work that he has done with Bo Nix. He was also the backup to Josh Allen for several seasons in Buffalo, and the two had a great relationship. There is also a chance that the Bills hire Daboll as the head coach and Webb as the offensive coordinator.
