NFL Insider Says Sean McDermott Could Take a Year Off From Coaching

The former Bills coach reportedly hasn’t engaged with any of the remaining teams with coach openings.

Former Bills coach Sean McDermott could take a year off from coaching. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Bills shockingly fired Sean McDermott after the team’s playoff exit last week. Buffalo is still looking for McDermott’s successor, while McDermott hasn’t really popped up as a candidate for any of the remaining coaching positions.

There are four open head coach positions left this cycle (including the Bills), and it doesn’t seem like McDermott has shown interest in any of them this go around. The other openings are with the Raiders, Browns and Cardinals. Any of the remaining teams would be ecstatic to add McDermott to their staff, but according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the coach hasn’t spoken with any of the teams about the openings.

In that case, there’s a good chance McDermott will take a year off from coaching before figuring out where his next role in the NFL will be.

“It remains unclear what Sean McDermott will firmly decide to do, but to my knowledge, he has not engaged with any of these openings,” Rapoport said Sunday. “... I believe it is likely that he ends up taking a year off.”

Coaches take a year off all the time and still come back taking top positions. Take Mike McCarthy as an example—he’s taken two gap years and returned to land head coach positions, including this weekend when he was named the Steelers’ new head coach.

So, it’s likely we won’t see McDermott back on the sidelines in 2026, but keep a watch for the 2027 season. McDermott’s NFL coaching career likely isn’t over.

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