On Monday morning, the Buffalo Bills shook up the NFL world by firing head coach Sean McDermott in the wake of their playoff loss against the Denver Broncos over the weekend. The move comes after years of playoff shortcomings for the Bills, with the team still unable to get over the hump despite the continued greatness of quarterback Josh Allen.
The move now opens up the search for the Bills' next head coach and immediately will become one of the most coveted jobs for remaining candidates.
One name that the Bills likely will not, and should not, consider is that of former Atlanta Falcons coach Raheem Morris. Morris has already interviewed with the Tennessee Titans for their head coaching vacancy this offseason, and has experience on the staff of some successful teams, including the 2021 Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams.
However, Morris' tenure with the Falcons over the last two years was a disaster, with the team finding itself unable to maximize the considerable skill positional talent they've stockpiled on the offensive side of the ball.
The Falcons also had several mishaps with clock management over the course of the last two seasons, and had a propensity to play down to their competition at times, if such a thing can be said about an 8-9 team.
Some of the most sought-after names on the head coaching market have already signed with new teams, including John Harbaugh and Kevin Stefanski. However, it's safe to assume that remaining candidates on the carousel will view the Bills as a premier destination, considering their relative organizational stability and the presence of Allen, who remains one of the best two players on the planet, despite having a mostly rough showing against the Broncos.
It will certainly be important for the Bills to nail their head coaching hire, but they'll also need to do some work on the roster this summer, as both the wide receiving core and the run defense left much to be desired throughout this season.
In any case, things will likely look quite a bit different by the time the 2026 season rolls around in Buffalo.
