Philip Rivers has withdrawn from consideration for the job as head coach of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, according to multiple reports.
The 44-year-old Rivers — who played three December games with the Indianapolis Colts this past season — interviewed with the Bills last Friday. He has spent the last five years as head football coach at St. Michael Catholic School in Fairhope, but has never coached above the high school level.
An Athens High School graduate, Rivers played from 2005-2020 with the Colts and San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers, but had not suited up for a game in nearly five years before returning to Indianapolis last month. He told AL.com’s Mark Heim on Jan. 8 that while he was happy at St. Michael, the idea of coaching in the NFL intrigued him.
“You’re talking about one of 32 jobs in the world at the highest level and certainly getting my feet back into it the last four weeks was exciting,” Rivers said Jan. 8 on “The Opening Kickoff” on Mobile’s WNSP Radio. “But that’s not something I’ve set out to do like, ‘Oh shoot, that’s what I want to do.’ I said openly and honestly I love it here and hope to be here a long time.
“But you never rule anything out. We’ll see where that all goes.”
Buffalo is looking for a head coach after abruptly firing Sean McDermott on Jan. 19, two days after 33-30 overtime loss to the Denver Broncos in an AFC Division Playoff game. McDermott coached the Bills to eight playoff berths in nine seasons, but never made it to the Super Bowl.
Rivers is 42-16 in five seasons at St. Michael, reaching the Class 4A semifinals in both 2024 and 2025. His son, Gunner, is a rising senior and the Cardinals’ starting quarterback — with scholarship offers from numerous major-college programs — heading into 2026.