Sean McDermott Is Available, Where Does He Ranking Among Remaining HC Candidates?

The Buffalo Bills' former head coach was a controversial call away from heading to New England for an AFC Championship Game, so where, among the remaining head coaches, does Sean McDermott rank?

Doesn't that sum up how fine the margins in the NFL are right now? After that devastating loss, McDermott must move on. There's no doubt he'll end up on his feet coaching another team soon, but which one will hire him, and where does he stand on the current open-to-work pecking order? The below analysis complements our Conference Championship picks. 

📋 Where does McDermott rank among the top head coach candidates?

Aside from the Bills, there are still seven more head coaching vacancies left, with McDermott now joining one of the wilder markets in recent memory.

While there's an abundance of opportunity, McDermott's lack of postseason success could rule him out for the Pittsburgh Steelers' job. Mike Tomlin, much like McDermott, saw his era end due to postseason failures, despite repeatedly impressing during the regular season.

But there are still plenty of chances to rebound quickly. However, does McDermott's experience win out over the understandably strong desire to pursue the league's next great offensive genius?

His ability to both build an often formidable defense while also mentoring Allen should go a long way.

Top head coach candidates for 2026

McDermott slides in near the top, as he should after amassing a 98-50 record across nine seasons in Buffalo.

There are lots of rising offensive minds around him, most notably Klint Kubiak of the Seattle Seahawks, who has reportedly held interviews with a whopping six teams so far. The Seahawks are -2.5 favorites in the NFC Championship odds after Kubiak's offense was humming all season, sitting third while averaging 28.4 points per game.

But the Bills sat only one tick below those Seahawks at 28.3 under the defensive-minded McDermott. And although stopping the run was a weakness, the Bills still ranked a respectable 12th in points allowed. That came after sitting 11th last year, and among the top five during four of the five seasons between 2019 and 2023.

McDermott has shown an ability to optimize both sides of the ball, culminating in eight playoff wins under his watch in Buffalo and two trips to the AFC title game. His tenure, and the Bills' franchise history, might look a lot different in an alternate universe if the Patrick Mahomes-led Kansas City Chiefs juggernaut wasn't at its peak.

🐦‍⬛ What's the best landing spot for McDermott?

The ideal team for McDermott's skill set is one with stability at the quarterback position and offensive upside broadly, and the club is in dire need of his defensive expertise.

Which perfectly describes the Baltimore Ravens, minus the potential for some murky unrest tied to Lamar Jackson.

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Kubiak is predictably in the mix here as one of the league's top young offensive minds. And Jesse Minter is getting the highest percentage chance, though he's currently slated for second interviews with the Las Vegas Raiders and Cleveland Browns, according to ProFootballTalk.

But given his past and what the Ravens are seeking, McDermott seems like the perfect fit. In fact, much of Baltimore's shopping list through a report from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport sounds much like what McDermott was able to do with Josh Allen. The passer finished among the top three in MVP voting three times under McDermott, winning it last year.

Allen's success while alongside McDermott led to the Bills thriving offensively while ranking among the top five in points per game during five of the past six seasons. Toss in the stellar defense, and they were also top five in point differential in six straight years.

The blend of McDermott's quarterback relationship-building, his experience, and defensive acumen should be appealing given Baltimore's situation. And especially the latter quality after the Ravens' defense sputtered, and they fielded the league's second-worst secondary this past campaign.

🦬 Why did the Bills fire Sean McDermott?

Being unable to clear a daunting playoff hurdle and reach the Super Bowl eventually led to McDermott's undoing in Buffalo.

His mark will be forever made on the franchise though, as the Bills were riding a 17-year playoff drought before he came along. Even more incredibly, Buffalo's run to the 2021 AFC Championship Game included the team's first playoff win in 25 years.

McDermott and the 2025-26 Bills were unable to capitalize on a playoff bracket that didn't include Mahomes, Joe Burrow, or Lamar Jackson. Not taking advantage of such a pristine chance to finally secure a championship during Allen's prime meant the end was near for McDermott.

But even if he didn't reach the summit, there was no shortage of success in Buffalo under McDermott, and that now makes him appealing on the open market.

McDermott's head coaching stats in Buffalo

His time in Buffalo also includes five straight AFC East titles, and making it to at least the Divisional Round six times.