After all that, the Buffalo Bills decided that they actually didn't need to change very much. Despite another disheartening playoff loss, despite a scorched-earth press conference in which owner Terry Pegula and GM Brandon Beane vowed to take the next step, Buffalo concluded its coaching search by ... promoting offensive coordinator Joe Brady to the head job.
It's a shocking decision, not least because having Josh Allen in tow seemed to separate the Bills from the rest of the pack in this year's coaching carousel. Now, the many interesting options still out there will be heading somewhere else — and some of them might come back to haunt Buffalo sooner rather than later.
Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak: Raiders head coach
Maybe this is giving the mess that is the Raiders org chart these days too much credit, but everything about the leisurely pace at which they've conducted their head coaching search suggests that they have their eye on a candidate who had been unavailable until recently — or remains unavailable because of a date in the Super Bowl in a couple of weekends.
Based on the profile of Las Vegas' interview choices so far, it would seem that they're targeting an offensive coach, which makes sense considering they're about to take QB Fernando Mendoza No. 1 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. Kubiak has done excellent work with Sam Darnold this year after doing the same with Derek Carr last year, and Tom Brady was just very impressed by his up-close look at the Seahawks offense in the NFC title game.
Former Bills head coach Sean McDermott: Taking a year off
McDermott has to be fuming at being the chosen fall guy for continued underachievement in Buffalo: Bills owner Terry Pegula made a big stink about how things simply had to change after another playoff loss, only to ... change precisely nothing aside from removing McDermott.
If McDermott wanted, he would no doubt move toward the front of the line in this year's coaching carousel; he did more with less with the Bills defense, no matter what Brandon Beane tries to tell you, and that much postseason experience doesn't come available too often. But it seems like, after almost a decade in the meat-grinder, he's ready to take a breather.
"It remains unclear what Sean McDermott will firmly decide to do but to my knowledge, has not engaged on any of these openings," NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said over the weekend. "And based on the conversations he's had and the people he's talked with who have taken a year off after a long head coaching stint, all have said it was beneficial and worth it."
Really, can you blame him? Being an NFL head coach is an unforgiving job, especially when you've been through the kind of heartbreak McDermott and the Bills have in recent years. He's still only 51 years old, so he can recharge his batteries, learn some things from visits around the league and come back stronger next cycle.
Rams pass game coordinator Nathan Scheelhaase: Browns head coach
It seems like the Browns' best-case scenario is packaging a young, offensive-minded head coach with a veteran DC like Jim Schwartz. They whiffed on Jags OC Grant Udinski, but Nate Scheelhaase appears to still be very much in the running after taking a second interview with Cleveland on Monday.
Everyone wants a piece of the Sean McVay coaching tree these days, and Scheelhaase has sat at his right hand for the last two years — two years that have been awfully friendly to Matthew Stafford's Hall of Fame chances. Scheelhaase is just 35, and has only called plays at the college level. But he's been a rising star for a while now and could be just the guy to drag the Browns organization into the 21st century.
Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula: Staying in L.A.
With the Steelers opting for Mike McCarthy and the Bills sticking with Brady, it seems like Shula we'll be staying put for at least one more year. Which, despite some criticism he's taken in the wake of L.A.'s loss to Seattle in the NFC title game, is a very good thing for the Rams: Shula has been instrumental in helping this defense punch above its weight despite a real dearth of talent in the defensive secondary, developing young foundational pieces in the front seven. Give him one more offseason to add some help at corner and safety, and the sky could be the limit.
Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski: Staying in Jacksonville
It always felt like this was a year too early for Udinski, who's still just 30 years old and didn't call the plays in Jacksonville this season. (Head coach Liam Coen did.) Udinski seemed to feel the same way, removing himself from consideration for the Browns job and now, barring a last-minute swerve somewhere, heading back to the Jags for another year under Coen's wing.
This Jags offense shouldn't fall off a cliff in 2026; if anything, they could take another leap with some additions along the offensive line. Udinski still has his whole career ahead of him and the league clearly thinks the world of him. What's the rush?
Broncos pass game coordinator/QB coach Davis Webb: Ravens OC
It wouldn't surprise me at all if Webb winds up taking the Raiders job. But with the Bills off the board — and Webb seemed to very much a live candidate there, given his relationship with Josh Allen — I think he'll wind up choosing between a return to Denver or jumping to another OC job in which he can actually call plays and leave his stamp on an offense.
And really, why wouldn't someone want to go join Jesse Minter in Baltimore? Minter will have plenty of leash as a first-year coach, so you don't have to worry about immediate job security, and the opportunity to work with a talent like Lamar Jackson doesn't come around very often. The Ravens job certainly isn't perfect, but Webb can truly set his candidacy apart next time around once he steps out from Payton's shadow.