The Bills made a franchise-altering decision that sent shockwaves throughout the league this morning. HC Sean McDermott was fired after a nine year run in Buffalo following the divisional round loss in Denver.
McDermott finished his tenure as Bills head coach with a 98-50 record. But the AFC playoffs have been a brutal barrier for a team still looking to get over the hump with Josh Allen. McDermott is 8-8 in his playoff career (8-7 with QB Josh Allen).
Buffalo is keeping GM Brandon Beane, and he will be overseeing the teams' coaching search. He received a promotion to President of Football Operations.
The Athletic's Dianna Russini dropped the name Brian Daboll as a possible replacement for McDermott as head coach. Daboll is currently scheduled to speak with the Chargers about their OC opening.
Could OC Joe Brady end up with the Chargers?
With Buffalo moving on from McDermott, the status of their current coaching staff is tenuous at best. OC Joe Brady has received some head coaching interest but could be on the move either way in 2026 with big changes in Buffalo. He should at the very least receive an interview for the Chargers' OC opening.
In Brady's two full seasons as Bills OC, they're the most efficient offense in the league. Combining the 2024 and 2025 seasons, Buffalo has the top offense in the NFL in EPA/play (0.165).
The next closest team is the Baltimore Ravens in that span at 0.122. Some of that can of course be attributed to a MVP QB in Allen. But Brady's offenses have produced in the playoffs, most recently against the Broncos and Jaguars.
Presnap motion in a spread offense with screens sounds like the dream for Justin Herbert. Despite some of the Bills' offensive roster deficiencies this season, Brady was a fairly good schemer around their warts. While some of the situational play calling from Brady could be questioned, it felt like he took the offense about as far as it could go considering the injuries and personnel issues.
Like Daboll being considered a favorite for the Chargers HC job in 2021, the Bolts also have some history with Brady. Before hiring Brandon Staley, the team interviewed him for their 2021 HC vacancy when he was Carolina's OC. He was interviewed again in 2023 for LA's OC opening before they hired Kellen Moore. Considering the history, it would not be a surprise to hear his name come up again.
If the Chargers are casting a wide net, Brady is one of the big fish possibly available as a result of the staff turnover in Buffalo. It would make sense for the Chargers to at least send in an interview request.