Before we get into this, once again, I must express my sincerest gratitude towards what Sean McDermott did not only for the Bills, but for the city of Buffalo during his 9-year tenure. I wish him all the best wherever he lands.
Now, the Buffalo Bills aim to find a successor they believe can help them get over the hump in the playoffs. Here are my top 5 candidates still available.
My Top 5 Candidates
1. Klint Kubiak
Seattle Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak is one of my favorite candidates during this coaching cycle. Of the remaining teams with head coaching vacancies, the Arizona Cardinals, Las Vegas Raiders, and Baltimore Ravens have requested or performed a virtual interview with Kubiak. Buffalo needs to immediately throw their name into the mix for this offensive-minded coach.
What he’s done in Seattle is nothing but remarkable this season. Keeping Sam Darnold on the same pace he was on from last season, elevating Jaxon Smith-Njigba‘s game, and jumping the Seahawks offense from 14th in total yards to 8th this season.
Coaching History:
- Texas A&M (2010-2012): Offensive Quality Control & Graduate Assistant
- Minnesota Vikings (2013-2014): Offensive Quality Control
- University of Kansas (2015): Wide Receivers Coach
- Denver Broncos (2016-2018): Offensive Assistant
- Minnesota Vikings (2019-2020): Quarterbacks Coach
- Minnesota Vikings (2021): Offensive Coordinator
- Denver Broncos (2022): Passing Game Coordinator & Quarterbacks Coach
- San Francisco 49ers (2023): Passing Game Coordinator
- New Orleans Saints (2024): Offensive Coordinator
- Seattle Seahawks (2025-Present): Offensive Coordinator
2. Nate Scheelhaase
The Los Angeles Rams ‘Pass Game Coordinator’ pass game coordinator has been a rising star in OC and HC talks around the league. Scheelhaase has been with the Rams since 2024, where he served as the Offensive Assistant/Passing Game Specialist, and was then promoted to Pass Game Coordinator in 2025.
Under Scheelhaase, Matt Stafford and Puka Nacua have been dominating the league. In 2024, the Rams were 10th in passing yards and jumped to 1st this season in his first season as the Pass Game Coordinator.
Coaching History:
- Illinois (2015): Running Backs Coach / Assistant Director of Football Operations
- Illinois (2016-2017): Offensive Assistant
- Iowa State (2018): Running Backs Coach
- Iowa State (2019-2020): Wide Receivers Coach
- Iowa State (2021-2022): Run Game Coordinator / RBs & WRs Coach
- Iowa State (2023): Offensive Coordinator & Quarterbacks Coach
- Los Angeles Rams (2024): Offensive Assistant & Passing Game Specialist
- Los Angeles Rams (2025-Present): Pass Game Coordinator
3. Joe Brady
Brandon Beane could look to promote in-house, as Joe Brady’s name has been a hot commodity for other teams with head coaching vacancies. Brady took over playcalling in the 2023 season after the Bills’ OC Ken Dorsey was fired mid-season after offensive struggles.
Brady was able to turn the offense around that season and lead the offense to a 6-game win streak. Brady was named as the Bills’ OC in 2024, and in the two seasons, Buffalo has had the 10th-ranked offense in 2024, followed by the 4th-ranked offense in 2025.
Coaching History:
- William & Mary (2013-2014): Linebackers Coach
- Penn State (2015-2016): Graduate Assistant
- LSU (2019): Passing Game Coordinator & Wide Receivers Coach, winning the Broyles Award as top assistant
- New Orleans Saints (2017-2018): Offensive Assistant
- Carolina Panthers (2020-2021): Offensive Coordinator
- Buffalo Bills (2022): Quarterbacks Coach.
- Buffalo Bills (2023): Quarterbacks Coach, Interim Offensive Coordinator
- Buffalo Bills (2024-Present): Offensive Coordinator
4. Brian Daboll
Brian Daboll was a staple in Josh Allen’s development. From 2018-2021, Josh Allen went from a questionable prospect to the beloved QB we have today.
The only knock I have on Brian Daboll vs Joe Brady is, well, two things: the first being that they both had the same playoff success, and I’d argue Daboll had the better roster, especially in 2020 and 2021. The other thing is that Daboll comes from the Coach Belichick tree, yet Las Vegas Raiders minority owner Tom Brady hasn’t even had an interview with Daboll regarding the Head Coaching vacancy. I wouldn’t mind Daboll coming back, but his role is better suited as an OC instead of a Head Coach.
Coaching History:
- William & Mary (1997): Volunteer Assistant
- Michigan State (1998–1999): Graduate Assistant
- New England Patriots (2000–2001): Defensive Assistant
- New England Patriots (2002–2006): Wide Receivers Coach
- New York Jets (2007–2008): Quarterbacks Coach
- Cleveland Browns (2009–2010): Offensive Coordinator
- Miami Dolphins (2011): Offensive Coordinator
- Kansas City Chiefs (2012): Offensive Coordinator
- New England Patriots (2013–2016): Tight Ends Coach
- Alabama (2017): Offensive Coordinator & Quarterbacks Coach
- Buffalo Bills (2018–2021): Offensive Coordinator
- New York Giants (2022–2025): Head Coach
5. Chris Shula
Although I truly believe Buffalo would greatly benefit from having an offensive-minded Head Coach. Chris Shula is a phenomenal candidate. What Klint Kubiak can bring to a team, an offense, is what Chris Shula can bring to a team on defense.
Shula should be 2nd on this list if I had no preference on the Bills bringing in an offensive-minded guy, but we’ve seen Sean McDermott the last 9 years. I don’t know if Bills Mafia can really buy into another defensive guy. With that being said, Shula is the only Defensive Coordinator I’d be excited about getting as a Head Coach.
Coaching History:
- Ball State (2010): Assistant Linebackers Coach
- Indiana (2011–2013): Graduate Assistant
- John Carroll (2014): Defensive Coordinator
- San Diego Chargers (2015–2016): Defensive Quality Control Coach
- Los Angeles Rams (2017–2018): Assistant Linebackers Coach
- Los Angeles Rams (2019–2020): Outside Linebackers Coach
- Los Angeles Rams (2021): Linebackers Coach
- Los Angeles Rams (2022): Pass Game Coordinator & Defensive Backs Coach
- Los Angeles Rams (2023): Pass Rush Coordinator & Linebackers Coach
- Los Angeles Rams (2024–present): Defensive Coordinator
Honorable Mentions
Grant Udinski
Jacksonville Jaguars Offensive Coordinator Grant Udinski has been on the rise as a head coaching candidate for multiple teams, especially after witnessing the dramatic leap the Jaguars took in the 2nd half of last season. Udinski spent time with Kevin O’Connell for the previous 3 seasons before being hired as the Jaguars’ OC last offseason. He helped Jacksonville go from 25th in yards per game and 26th in points for to 11th and 6th. A very impressive turnaround for the young coach.
Klay Kubiak
The younger brother of Klint, Klay, inherited an already great roster in his lone year as the San Francisco 49ers’ Offensive Coordinator. You can actually use the same argument for Rams Pass Game Coordinator Nate Scheelhaase who I have ranked 2nd on this list but the difference is people expected Matt Stafford to regress, wondered if he was even going to play, and Stafford played at an MVP level this year while the Niners offense only put up 6 points this past Sunday so I’ll give coach Scheelhaase the edge in that aspect.
A Look Ahead
I will be going over the Bills’ upcoming free agents, who I’d personally keep or let go, followed by another article discussing the 2026 free agent class and who Buffalo should target.
Check out all of my previous articles alongside all regular season articles available here: 2025 Season Series, and make sure to use code DL10 for 10% off all memberships! Also, tune in on YouTube to view our most recent video, where we discuss the results in the divisional round!
