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Buffalo Bills GM Brandon Beane
The Buffalo Bills may not know who their head coach will be next season, but they certainly know who it won’t be.
Buffalo has interviewed a host of potential candidates since firing Sean McDermott one week ago.
That group includes current offensive coordinator Joe Brady, former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll, Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, former Colts quarterback Philip Rivers, Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski, Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, and Washington Commanders running backs coach Anthony Lynn.
The Bills reportedly were hoping to interview Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, but the team would have to wait until Feb. 9 with Seattle playing the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8.
Only teams that have had a first interview with Kubiak can interview him in the two weeks between now and the Super Bowl.
Philip Rivers Withdraws from Bills Job
GettyFormer Indianapolis Colts QB Philip Rivers was in the running for the head coach job with the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo made headlines when it announced it was interviewing Rivers for the head coaching vacancy last week. Rivers has no NFL coaching experience, and he came out of retirement weeks ago to start at QB for the Colts after a season-ending injury to Daniel Jones.
But on Monday, Rivers informed the Bills that he was no longer interested in the job, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.
He’s the second candidate to reject the Bills in the last three days, joining former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, who canceled his interview with the team over the weekend.
“Philip Rivers has withdrawn from the Bills head coaching search,” NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo stated. “He enjoyed the process, it sounds like. NFL head coaching may very well be in his future.
“But right now for now for Rivers, who’s been through a lot of things recently — he’s off for five years then heading into the head coach interview process. It sounds like he did really well in the interview process too, but Rivers deciding the timing is not right for him and his family, so he is out.”
What’s Next for Buffalo?
GettyDenver Broncos pass-game coordinator Davis Webb
With two viable candidates now off the table, the Bills have some decisions to make about which ones should get second interviews.
Given their ties to the organization and their respective relationships with Allen, Brady and Daboll are both believed to be the frontrunners right now.
However, there is one name gaining steam as a potential dark-horse candidate, and Buffalo is reportedly set to interview him in the coming days.
“Expect the Bills now to shift their focus to the guys they’ve already interviewed but also Davis Webb, the passing-game coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Denver Broncos, a former Bills quarterback and a friend of Josh Allen — they are expected to put in an interview request for him in the near future,” Garafolo added.
Webb has been praised for the work he’s done in Denver with Bo Nix, who few people were sold on when the Broncos drafted him with the 12th overall pick in the 2024 draft.
Having played for Buffalo in 2021, Webb is already familiar with the Bills’ system and Allen’s game. There’s a chance the team gambles on Webb’s potential as a coach and his relationship with Allen translating into success.
Michael Gallagher Michael Gallagher is a sports journalist covering the NFL for Heavy.com. He has more than a decade of experience working for both local and national news outlets covering the NFL, NHL, NBA, WNBA, college football, and MMA. His work has been featured in Newsweek, Yahoo Sports, Fox Sports, Athlon Sports, The Hockey News, the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, and Yardbarker. More about Michael Gallagher
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