Philip Rivers Reportedly Out of Bills HC Race, Who Are Top Candidates to Replace McDermott?

Following the firing of Sean McDermott last week, it looks like the Buffalo Bills won't be making an out-of-the-box hire for their next head coach after all.

The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported on Monday that legendary quarterback Philip Rivers has withdrawn himself from consideration for the Bills' head coaching vacancy.

With Rivers now off the board, some of the top candidates for the opening in Buffalo include Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll and Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski, all of whom have interviewed with the franchise in some capacity already.

Rivers has never coached beyond the high school level, but he still scored an interview with Buffalo last week after the team began its search for a new head coach. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on Sunday that the signal-caller was "under serious consideration" despite his lack of experience.

"Sounds like in the interview process, he crushed it," Rapoport explained. "And I know he has been just a high-school coach, but he's basically been a head coach and essentially a play-caller on every team he's been in over the last decade or so. Philip Rivers has a strong connection around the league of veteran coaches, guys like [former Colts and Panthers coach] Frank Reich would be one, guys like [49ers assistant] Gus Bradley another. He could pull an impressive staff. This is certainly one to keep an eye on."

Instead, it seems like Rivers has had a change of heart. The 44-year-old was a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2026, but after ending his retirement to play for the Indianapolis Colts down the stretch of this season, his five-year window to be eligible for the Hall of Fame has been reset.

The Bills have made it clear that their top priority in their head coaching search is to find someone who has synergy with star quarterback Josh Allen. Brady and Daboll likely have a leg up on the competition thanks to their prior relationships with the 2024 NFL MVP. Udinski is a rising candidate who could win over Buffalo after his impressive showing in Jacksonville.

It's clear that the Bills won't rush their search process before making a decision, but losing Rivers from their list of candidates could delay things even further.