Could Potential Bill Belichick Suitor Surface After NFL Divisional Round?
Sean McDermott hasn't been able to get the Bills over the hump
The Buffalo Bills have been eliminated from the NFL playoffs after their divisional-round loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Highmark Stadium on Sunday. It marks the third time in four seasons Patrick Mahomes and company got the best of Josh Allen’s Bills.
And while the Bills were depleted by injury during the 2023 campaign, like so many other teams around the league, it’s fair to question whether Buffalo could make serious changes this offseason. After all, if these second-seeded Bills couldn’t advance past these traveling Chiefs, maybe it would take major changes to do so.
Too dramatic? Maybe. But maybe not.
One potential change: Replacing Bills head coach Sean McDermott, who was very close to being the biggest reason Buffalo lost Sunday.
The Bills announced in June they signed McDermott to a contract extension through the 2027 campaign, so his pact isn’t up in the air. And McDermott is a good coach, one who has made the franchise a perennial playoff contender and four-time defending AFC East champion. Those types of head coaches rarely are shown the exit, but the Bills are seeking more. With Josh Allen leading the charge, Buffalo should be competing for Super Bowls. McDermott, who already saved himself by firing offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey in-season and not retaining defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, has not helped the Bills get there.
The Bills advanced to the conference championship in 2020 and have been eliminated in the divisional round each of the last three campaigns, two of those three by the Chiefs.
Perhaps Bill Belichick could help Buffalo’s pursuit for a Lombardi?
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Belichick parted ways with the New England Patriots after an underwhelming 2023 campaign. The future Hall of Famer spent the last 24 seasons in New England, gaining plenty of AFC East experience. Belichick now is reportedly hoping to take over an underachieving program with talent. The Bills certainly fit that billing — no pun intended.
Less than one month ago, Belichick referenced Allen in the same sentence as Tom Brady. Belichick has boasted over Buffalo’s roster the last few seasons, and for good reason.
With the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles moving forward with Mike McCarthy and Nick Sirianni, respectively, the Bills likely would be the most enticing landing spot for a head coach, if they move on from McDermott. It likely would be enticing for Belichick, too, given he then could compete against his former Patriots and hated New York Jets twice per season. He also would remain on the East Coast and serve at the helm of a team that could win 15 games — the number he needs to set the all-time wins record — in short order.
The free-agent Belichick has interviewed twice with the Atlanta Falcons, but it reportedly is 50/50 whether the 71-year-old takes over that job.
