The Buffalo Bills‘ decision to part ways with head coach Sean McDermott on Monday has shocked fans and analysts alike, while also inviting conversation on a potential return to NFL coaching for Bill Belichick.
The longtime NFL head coach who revitalized the New England Patriots and later had a stint at the University of North Carolina has now entered the conversation as a rumored replacement for McDermott.
Former NFL head coach Rex Ryan, who has coached both the Patriots and the Bills, went on ESPN’s Get Up to make his case for Belichick returning to the NFL, specifically to Buffalo.
“Get the guy that has proven he can go to the Super Bowl,” Ryan said. “That’s the only guy, in my opinion, you replace Sean McDermott with.”
Ryan also floated the idea of Belichick bringing in Brian Daboll, formerly the Bills‘ offensive coordinator and recently dismissed by the New York Giants, to run the offense.
Belichick‘s name, with six Super Bowl titles to his credit as a head coach, resonates with fans and pundits alike because his rsum includes sustained championship success, a feat that has eluded McDermott in Buffalo.
Belichick‘s recent coaching ventures have been mixed, including a challenging season at UNC, and he has publicly affirmed a commitment to that program in the past.
Nonetheless, the clamor for his return to the NFL, particularly alongside an elite quarterback like Josh Allen, won’t be easy to ignore.
A heartbreaking end to Josh Allen‘s 2025 season
The Bills suffered a 33-30 overtime loss to the Denver Broncos in the divisional round of the playoffs, effectively ending McDermott‘s nineseason run in Orchard Park, during which he transformed Buffalo into a perennial playoff contender.
While McDermott‘s regular-season rsum was strong, compiling a 98-50 record and eight postseason wins, his tenure was ultimately defined by the Bills‘ inability to reach the Super Bowl, even with an MVP-caliber quarterback in Allen.
Bills owner Terry Pegula underscored a desire for structural change in announcing the decision, and promoted general manager Brandon Beane to president of football operations to lead the upcoming coaching search.
“Sean helped change the mindset of this organization and was instrumental in the Bills becoming a perennial playoff team,” Pegula said in a team release.
“But I feel we are in need of a new structure within our leadership to give this organization the best opportunity to take our team to the next level.”
McDermott‘s departure leaves a significant legacy: he ended Buffalo‘s 17-year playoff drought and guided the franchise to seven consecutive postseason appearances, yet those high-water marks were overshadowed by postseason shortcomings.
Quarterback Allen, who has been the centerpiece of the Bills‘ offense and grew into one of the league’s premier playmakers, expressed visible pain after the loss to Denver, taking responsibility for turnovers late in the game, a performance that, in the eyes of some observers, crystallized the team’s recent frustrations.
