Just weeks after his tenure with the New York Giants ended in disappointment, Brian Daboll’s name is already at the center of a new coaching tug-of-war. On the latest episode of the It’s Always Gameday in Buffalo podcast, Matt Bove and Sal Capaccio tossed a role for him away from the league.

During the podcast, Sal first floated the idea that their friend, Brian Daboll, might take up a coordinator role. But Matt instantly disagreed. He argued that Daboll still sees himself as a head coach. As such, Sal further questioned if Daboll would land an NFL head-coaching job next season, but then Matt said something unexpected. He claimed that Daboll might turn down the NFL entirely and head to the college ranks. 

“Okay, college football head coach Brian Daboll,” said Sal immediately. “That’s an interesting one. I mean, he did coach and he did win a national championship as the offensive coordinator at Alabama with Jaylen Hurts and Tua, by the way, on the team. So, I don’t know. I think he’s an NFL guy now.”

Daboll does have a college pedigree. He won a national title as Alabama’s offensive coordinator in 2017 with Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa on the roster. But Sal still saw Daboll as an “NFL guy.” And Daboll’s résumé backs that up. 

After his Alabama stint in 2017, he joined the Buffalo Bills as their offensive coordinator. He held the job from 2018 to 2021 and helped develop quarterback Josh Allen into a star. He later became the Giants’ head coach from 2022 to 2025. Along the way, he also worked with quarterbacks like Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa, and Daniel Jones. With that kind of background, it’s no surprise he remains a top name in this coaching cycle.

However, the college world is following Brian Daboll, too. Recently, when FOX Sports insider Bruce Feldman joined Chris Fallica’s podcast, he mentioned Daboll as a potential candidate at Penn State. 

“Two other names to keep an eye on that we’ve heard that have emerged as candidates of interest – one is Brian Daboll, the recently fired Giants head coach,” said Feldman, reminding everyone about his national title win.

Programs like Penn State want fresh offensive ideas, and Brian Daboll seems to fit their scheme with his reputation for modernizing passing games. But Matt also pointed out on the podcast that Daboll could thrive as a recruiter because of his personality. 

“He [Brian] would be such a good recruiter,” said Matt. “Brian Daboll is the man. He is awesome. Him walking into homes for people, he would win them over immediately.” 

So, what looked like a quiet period in Brian Daboll’s career has now turned into a compelling plot. Just last week, Daboll was also linked to the OC job in Philadelphia. But the storyline got even more intriguing because of the Bills’ head coach, Sean McDermott. Sources suggest that he recently shut down one option for Daboll in Buffalo. 

Did Sean McDermott reject a reunion with Brian Daboll in Buffalo?

Brian Daboll and Josh Allen once formed one of the league’s most successful quarterback-coordinator partnerships. Under Daboll, Allen went from an erratic rookie to an MVP candidate. He posted back-to-back 4,000-yard seasons in 2020 and 2021. That kind of leap doesn’t happen often. But hours after Brian Daboll was fired, McDermott shut the door on any speculation about his return to Buffalo.

That caught fans off guard because why wouldn’t the Bills at least explore the possibility? In his podcast, Sal hinted that it could be because there may be “friction” between McDermott and Daboll. However, Matt felt that the narrative was exaggerated. Even so, Sal suggested that Daboll might not have gone for the offensive coordinator job in Buffalo for a couple of reasons. 

“They [Brian and Sean] might realize that they’re better with each other than without each other anyway,” said Matt. “But let’s remember Brian Daboll is still getting paid by the New York Giants to sit at home and basically watch football and to plot his next move. I just never felt that he would be wanting to come in to do that while that’s happening, or that the Bills would want to put Joe Brady in that position.” 

However, the Bills Mafia has seen how the offense has stumbled this season under OC Joe Brady. The Bills’ passing game looks out of rhythm. As such, Matt suggested that while Daboll has a knack for “solving Josh Allen’s problems,” he should be hired in Buffalo. 

Still, Matt admitted that Brian Daboll has earned the right to be selective. Maybe he doesn’t want just a passing-game coordinator role in Buffalo. Maybe he wants to take on something bigger, perhaps in college football. For now, many options remain open, and Daboll holds the power to choose his next steps.