Ex-NFL head coach says Bills job is best vacancy: ‘Not even close’

One former NFL head coach believes that the Buffalo Bills’ head-coaching position is the best available job of this cycle.

Buffalo moved on from Sean McDermott after the team was eliminated from the playoffs by the Denver Broncos, but the franchise still has star quarterback Josh Allen and star running back James Cook as two elite offensive building blocks.

According to The Athletic’s Jeff Howe, the aforementioned former head coach easily ranked the Buffalo job as the best open position of this cycle.

“Not even close,” the former head coach said.

It’s interesting to hear the Buffalo job described as far and away the best option, especially with a team like the Baltimore Ravens also looking for its next head coach. The Athletic conducted a poll of coaches and NFL executives to find the best opening, and Buffalo ranked No. 1 while Baltimore came in at No. 2.

Even though the Bills have yet to win a Super Bowl in the Allen era, there is no doubt that the team could be one of the best in the AFC next season. Buffalo will look to bounce back after having a long run atop the AFC East snapped in the 2025 season, as Drake Maye and the New England Patriots won 14 games to win the division crown.

Buffalo still earned the No. 6 seed in the AFC, and it won a playoff game on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars behind a big game from Allen. Buffalo then lost on the road in overtime against Denver, but one could argue the team shot itself in the foot in that matchup by turning the ball over five times.

Allen, who won the MVP last season, is still one of the game’s best signal-callers, and he gives Buffalo a discernible floor as a team. Any head coach that takes the job will already be set with a roster that should be in the playoffs in the 2026 season.

Baltimore is in a similar spot with Lamar Jackson, but the Ravens quarterback has dealt with injury issues at times and missed some key games, so there’s some risk there.

The Bills have made the playoffs in seven straight seasons, and they’ll look to keep that streak going in the 2026 season even with a new leader on the sidelines.