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NFL World Blown Away by Stunning Report That Bills Will Interview Philip Rivers

Rivers is just weeks removed from his improbable comeback.
Dan Lyons|
Philip Rivers is set to interview for the Bills job, just weeks after wrapping up his stunning NFL comeback with the Colts.
Philip Rivers is set to interview for the Bills job, just weeks after wrapping up his stunning NFL comeback with the Colts. | JAMIE GERMANO/ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE via Imagn Content Services, LLC

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If Philip Rivers’s abrupt return to the NFL surprised you, his next potential move in the league might knock you out of your chair.

Adam Schefter reported Friday that Rivers will interview with the Bills for their head coaching job, with numerous other reporters confirming the news. He immediately becomes the most unique name attached to the franchise, which is also speaking to former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, ex-Giants coach (and Buffalo-area native) Brian Daboll, and Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, among others.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport hinted at this possibility earlier this month, reporting that Rivers was expected to figure into coaching searches this winter. Even so, seeing Rivers—previously a coach at the high school level—interview for a franchise like the Bills, who intend to compete for Super Bowls with quarterback Josh Allen in his prime, is stunning.

Allen’s reverance for Rivers likely helps sell him on the move, though it remains way out there.

The news broke in time for ESPN’s First Take to weigh in, with Ryan Clark stunning Stephen A. Smith by saying he appreciates the bold move.

“I’d actually love it,” Clark said. “if you’re not going to move right to Joe Brady, I’d rather you go Philip Rivers and move away from these recycled, failed-up head coaches that we are interviewing or we are looking at, and try something new.”

Others around football are far more skeptical, and for understandable reasons. Rivers is undeniably a great quarterback, and his brief return to the NFL this season for Indianapolis showed that he still has a great mind for the game and serious moxie. He might have the makings of a great coach—and he’s certainly shown it at the high school level at least. Making the move up to the NFL is still a seismic leap, and an incredibly bold one for a franchise that already made a similarly bold move to ditch Sean McDermott.

Rivers won’t have the luxury of learning on the job with a developing roster.

Schefter followed up his report with a nod to the Jeff Saturday situation with the Colts in 2022—the closest recent analogue we have for the potential of Rivers taking over the Bills. Of course, that was a mid-season interim hire, and as bizarre as it was at the time, it isn’t anything close to someone who quarterbacked in the NFL this season taking over a team that is perceived as a true Super Bowl threat.

Per Schefter, the last person to take over a team as full-time coach with no prior college or pro coaching experience: Norm Van Brocklin, who took over the Vikings in 1961 after playing for the Eagles the year before.

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Dan Lyons
DAN LYONS

Dan Lyons is a staff writer and editor on Sports Illustrated's Breaking and Trending News team. He joined SI for his second stint in November 2024 after a stint as a senior college football writer at Athlon Sports, and a previous run with SI spanning multiple years as a writer and editor. Outside of sports, you can find Dan at an indie concert venue or movie theater.

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