Buffalo Bills are making moves to find Sean McDermott’s replacement, with former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll set for an interview over the vacancy amid a six-man shortlist for the job.
Daboll was fired by the Giants back in November after a difficult two-and-a-half seasons that ended on a 20-40-1 record and with an unhappy fanbase demanding change.
But Daboll’s offensive credentials are not in doubt and he has history with Buffalo, previously working as the Bills’ offensive coordinator from 2018-21 alongside their star quarterback, Josh Allen. According to reports on Wednesday, the two have maintained a good relationship since then – Daboll left to take the Giants job.
Ironically, Daboll has the same agent as McDermott, the man he hopes to replace at the Bills, in Bob LaMonte.
It’s one of the premier openings in the NFL, with the chance to work with Allen alongside the opening of the new Bills stadium at the start of the 2026 season.
The Bills fired former head coach Sean McDermott on Monday in a ruthless response to losing their NFL playoff game against the Denver Broncos.
Former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll is in the running for the Buffalo Bills job
The Bills fired Sean McDermott on Monday after losing their playoff game to Denver Broncos
Given that the Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals all failed to make the postseason in the AFC, it was considered as the best chance yet for Allen to win his first Super Bowl. Allen was in tears when he spoke to reporters after the game.
Daboll has been linked with OC jobs with the Los Angeles Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles – the Chargers are closing in on appointing Mike McDaniel to the role.
But should he land the Bills job, it would be a remarkable move for him to leave the Giants after years of struggles and take over a genuine Super Bowl contender.
When he left last November, ESPN said there was frustration in the Giants’ building that Daboll was ‘inconsistent’ in his decision making and the organization felt he didn’t get the best out of his players.
In his final game, the Giants blew a 10-point lead with four minutes left in the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears. And while Daboll has a playoff run with the Giants on his resume, in the last two seasons he went 11-33 in his final two season in New York.
Furthermore, the final days of his tenure are remembered for him bizarrely running into the blue medical tent while quarterback Jaxson Dart was being checked for a concussion in a loss to the Eagles. He was fined $100,000 for his actions and the team were also fined $250,000.
Daboll leads what appears, at present, to be a six-man shortlist for the vacancy. Joe Brady, the current Bills offensive coordinator, is in the running with Anthony Lynn, Anthony Weaver, Grant Udinski and Lou Anarumo.
Former Bills assistant head coach and the current Washington Commanders run game coordinator, Lynn was the Chargers head coach for three years, from 2017-20, as the team moved from San Diego to Los Angeles. He left that job with a 33-31 record.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen was in tears after his team lost to the Broncos last Saturday
Bills OC Joe Brady, pictured alongside Allen, is also in the running for the head coach job
Anarumo is the defensive coordinator at the Indianapolis Colts, who had a blistering first half of the 2025 season before ending it with seven straight losses.
That losing streak coincided with quarterback Daniel Jones tearing his Achilles.
Jones was the quarterback who played the most under Daboll at the Giants and they won a playoff game together in 2022, but otherwise failed to ever really be in the running for postseason football.
Udinski, meanwhile, is the offensive coordinator at the Jacksonville Jaguars. Weaver is defensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins.
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Buffalo Bills to interview fired New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll as search for Josh Allen’s new boss heats up