Two days after the Buffalo Bills were eliminated in the Divisional Round by the Denver Broncos, it was announced that head coach Sean McDermott would be relieved of his duties.
McDermott had been the leader of the Bills since 2017 and drafted star quarterback Josh Allen in 2018, sparking a dominant 89-43 stretch in the regular season since then (second in wins behind the Kansas City Chiefs in that timeframe).
The Bills have had three AFC Conference Championship appearances since 2020, but they've yet to make a Super Bowl appearance in the McDermott/Allen era. A 0-4 playoff record to the Chiefs and the most recent loss to the Broncos ultimately led to McDermott's demise.
The move does seem a little too reactionary. The Bills have completely outplayed their talent level over these past few years. With no true No. 1 receiving target on offense and no true superstar on defense, it's impressive that they've been this dominant, and it feels like the conservative Brandon Beane should've been let go from his GM spot instead.
Regardless, the Bills front office felt it was time to move on from the defensive-minded McDermott. Let's take a look at the top-ten potential candidates with the shortest odds to replace him, provided by bet365:
BUF Bills Next Permanent Head Coach Odds - Last updated: Jan. 20
Klint Kubiak | +180 |
Brian Daboll | +200 |
Joe Brady | +450 |
Davis Webb | +550 |
Brian Flores | +2000 |
Chris Shula | +2000 |
Mike McCarthy | +2000 |
Mike McDaniel | +2000 |
Mike Tomlin | +2000 |
Jesse Minter | +2500 |
With the unmatched talent of Josh Allen at quarterback, Buffalo is an extremely enticing landing spot for a potential head coach.
Current Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is the favorite to become the next head coach of the Bills at +180. Kubiak is on the radar for plenty of head coach-less teams for good reason after having back-to-back successful seasons as OC in New Orleans and Seattle.
Former Bills OC Brian Daboll (+200) and current Bills OC Joe Brady (+450) are in the top-three. Daboll obviously has experience with Allen and is credited for helping him reach his current status, and he now has some head coaching experience as well after spending a couple seasons as the head man with the New York Giants.
Brady could be in line for an in-house promotion after being with the Bills since 2022. He's crafted a dynamic run-game scheme with Allen and Cook and could have more say for the offensive personnel if he's hired.
Broncos QB coach Davis Webb (+550) is the last remaining candidate with odds shorter than +2000. Webb has done a phenomenal job helping to develop Bo Nix and has received rave reviews from Sean Payton and the Broncos organization.
Two defensive minds (Brian Flores and Chris Shula), and three "Mike's" (McCarthy, McDaniel, and Tomlin) are all priced at +2000 with little chance of being hired as the Bills next head coach.
All five candidates seem to be in discussions with multiple teams and the Bills may want to go with an offensive head coach after letting go of the defensive McDermott.
Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter rounds out the top-ten at +2500, though it seems likely that he'll end up in Baltimore (+100).
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Cardinals Next Permanent Head Coach Odds.
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Raiders Next Permanent Head Coach Odds.
Odds in this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.
