JJ Watt Calls Out NFL Coaching Carousel After Sean McDermott Fired by Bills

The Buffalo Bills sent shockwaves around the league when they announced Monday they fired head coach Sean McDermott after Saturday's AFC Divisional Round loss to the Denver Broncos, and former NFL star J.J. Watt was among those who reacted.

Watt took to social media and called out the coaching changes this offseason with Josh Allen's team and Lamar Jackson's team among those looking for new leaders.

So are the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have traditionally been hesitant to make coaching changes:

While the New York Giants (John Harbaugh) and Atlanta Falcons (Kevin Stefanski) addressed their vacancies with splash hires, the Bills joined the Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, Steelers, Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins as teams in need of a new head coach.

The Buffalo and Baltimore openings stand out the most given the presence of Allen and Jackson.

McDermott led the Bills to the playoffs in each of the last seven seasons but never advanced past the AFC Championship Game. The front office clearly felt a change was necessary if the team is ever going to get over that final hump, and it is quite an appealing opening for coaching candidates.

But, as Watt pointed out, the bar will be "extremely high" after Mike Vrabel (New England Patriots), Ben Johnson (Chicago Bears) and Liam Coen (Jacksonville Jaguars) all reached the playoffs in their first season as head coaches of their respective teams in 2025:

Anything but a playoff appearance for the Bills and the Ravens would be a disappointment. 

Allen and Jackson took home the last two MVPs and are both on the short list of the best players in the league. If Jackson remains healthy and Allen continues to put up head-turning numbers, they could each be right back in the MVP discussion again next season.

The other teams with openings post more of a challenge with potential rebuilding ahead, but the right hire can make all the difference.

Just ask the Patriots, Bears and Jaguars, who were a combined 13-38 last season before making the playoffs following coaching changes.