In his farewell note, Sean McDermott reflected on his time in Buffalo, calling it a gift to wake up every day as the Buffalo Bills’ head coach for nearly a decade. That chapter, however, officially closed this week when the Bills fired McDermott. Not long after, backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky shared his former head coach’s statement on Instagram and added a heartfelt note of his own.

“Can’t thank you enough coach,” Mitchell Trubisky captioned his story. “Incredible coach, even better man. Class act and does things the right way. A true honor to play for. Much love for the McDermott family!”

The emotion carries weight for the backup signal caller. Across two stints, Trubisky spent three seasons playing under McDermott in Buffalo. The Bills first signed Josh Allen’s backup in 2021 on a one-year deal. At the time, General Manager and now President of Football Operations Brandon Beane described the move as a “reset” for Trubisky after his turbulent tenure in Chicago.

That first stint ended with his one-year contract running out, and Trubisky moved on to the Steelers. Fast forward to 2024, and Buffalo brought him back on a two-year contract. This time, he was a familiar and trusted insurance option behind Allen. Following his 1800+ yard and eight touchdown stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo sat at the top of his wish list.

“Just been through a lot,” he said back in 2024. “I think I’ve played in a lot of different systems, and I kind of know what I don’t like and do like by now, and I think coming back to this system, it’s one I’m a lot more comfortable in and I think it’s better for my skillset.”

Over those three seasons, Trubisky appeared in 19 games for the Bills, all under McDermott’s guidance, serving as Allen’s steady backup. That context explains his emotional reaction to McDermott’s firing. For Trubisky, the coach wasn’t just a boss. He was a constant presence during the most stable stretches of his career.

The Bills’ decision to move on from McDermott came just days after their season ended with a 33–30 overtime loss to the Denver Broncos in the divisional round. McDermott was never a poor regular-season coach. From September through December, his teams went 98–50. January, though, told a different story.

Despite winning multiple division titles and reaching the playoffs in eight of his nine seasons, McDermott finished with an even 8–8 postseason record and never reached the Super Bowl.

Buffalo, however, opted for continuity in the front office. Beane was retained and elevated to President of Football Operations. Now, for the first time in nearly a decade, he’ll lead a full head-coaching search in Buffalo. Early on, one name continues to surface…one that feels familiar.

The Bills could turn to an Allen-approved former OC to replace Sean McDermott

The head-coaching market has exploded this season following Black Monday, with roughly ten teams parting ways with their head coaches. While two of those vacancies have already been filled (the New York Giants hiring John Harbaugh and the Atlanta Falcons landing Kevin Stefanski), the Bills are now among the teams still searching for a new head coach. As that search unfolds, a familiar name has quickly resurfaced.

“Talking to NFL executives around the league about Buffalo’s next head coach options, the name that keeps coming up is a familiar one, a Buffalo native and someone Josh Allen loves: Brian Daboll,” The Athletic’s Dianna Russini wrote on X.

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Daboll most recently served as the Giants’ head coach for three-and-a-half seasons. He posted a 20–40–1 regular-season record and reached the postseason just once. After a 2–8 start to the 2025 campaign, New York moved on from him. While Daboll has since been linked to offensive coordinator roles for the 2026 season, Buffalo’s decision to part ways with Sean McDermott has suddenly put him back in the head-coaching conversation.

The Canadian-born coach’s connection runs deep with Buffalo. The Bills hired Daboll as their OC in 2018, the same year they drafted Allen. He arrived in Buffalo after developing quarterbacks like Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa at Alabama, carrying a reputation for early-stage quarterback development. In Buffalo, he delivered on that promise, helping Allen grow into the face of the franchise.

By his third season as OC, the Bills had taken a significant leap offensively. Daboll helped guide Buffalo near the top of the league in scoring at 31.3 points per game. In the process, the team reached 13 wins for the first time since the early 1990s. Along the way, he played a key role in ending the franchise’s postseason drought. Daboll even earned AP NFL Assistant Coach of the Year honors during his time.

While his tenure in New York may not have gone as planned, the familiarity remains in Buffalo. Daboll knows the building, the quarterback, and the offensive identity that helped elevate Buffalo into a contender. Whether that history is enough to bring him back remains to be seen.