Many were surprised that Sean McDermott didn’t take another head-coaching job after he was fired by the Buffalo Bills back in mid-January.
However, it seems that was by design.
By the time Buffalo parted ways with McDermott, most of the top head-coaching vacancies had already been filled, and as it turns out McDermott had an ulterior motive for taking the next year away from football before potentially jumping back into coaching in 2027.
McDermott recently revealed to The Athletic — his first public interview since losing his job — that his family has since moved to Charlotte, N.C., and he spends his time preparing for whatever his next job is and watching his daughter finish out her senior season on her softball team before leaving for Notre Dame next year.
And to that end, it doesn’t seem McDermott is bitter about his exit from the Bills. In fact, he looks back as his nine-year tenure with the team — which included 98 wins, eight playoff appearances, five division titles, and two AFC Championship Game appearances — as a highly successful period in his life and career.
“You know, sometimes when one door closes, another one opens, also, right?” McDermott stated. “How many head coaches are able to do it for nine years and really take something, get it turned around, build a culture, break a 17-year playoff drought in the first season, and then go to the playoffs eight out of nine years?
“… I think a lot of people want the type of relationship we had for a better part of nine years, myself, (general manager) Brandon (Beane), Terry, and I’m extremely grateful to both of them; to Terry for the opportunity he gave me, and then working together with Brandon, and I think that organization is in a great spot. … The piece that we control what we can control, that’s really where my focus is.”
McDermott is focused on taking his “gap year” to focus and prepare for any coaching opportunities that come his way next year. Given the turnover rate in the NFL, it’s safe to say McDermott will be highly sought-after when jobs ultimately become available in 2027.
The Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are all jobs that could become available depending on next year’s results.
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