4 Sean McDermott replacements Bills can hire to get Chiefs monkey off their back

2. Bills can hire Bengals OC Brian Callahan

Why not invest in a coach that has experience beating Patrick Mahomes?

Brian Callahan has been in charge of the Cincinnati Bengals' offense since 2019. At 38 years old, he would be one of the youngest coaches in the NFL. But, that is the age we live in. Teams are more and more willing to hire "unproven" candidates with obvious talent, and Callahan's résumé speaks for itself.

Working side by side with Joe Burrow, Callahan has already been to the AFC championship game twice and the Super Bowl once, in 2022... when the Bengals toppled the Chiefs in the AFC title match. That alone makes Callahan an intriguing option if Buffalo decides to pivot to a new head coach. What he lacks in high-level experience, Callahan makes up for with specific experience that applies to Buffalo's postseason misfortunes.

It's hard not to draw the line from Callahan to Burrow, then contemplate drawing that line to Josh Allen. What a gift it has been for Callahan to build his offense around one of the best QBs in the NFL. One of the few talents that can rival Burrow under center is Allen. Callahan wouldn't have to limit his playbook. If anything, Allen's unique running ability would add new wrinkles to Callahan's repertoire.

The "young genius play-caller" hire doesn't always work, but sometimes it turns into Sean McVay or Mike McDaniel. Before taking the Bengals job, Callahan was Matthew Stafford's quarterbacks coach in Detroit. This is a pretty clear fit if Buffalo decides to change it up.