The Buffalo Bills have moved on from head coach Sean McDermott after nine seasons, and Colin Cowherd wants them to bring back a name from their past — New York Giants head coach and ex-Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll.
“Brian Daboll won a playoff game with Daniel Jones and is a former offensive coordinator who helped take Josh Allen to the next level,” Cowherd said on Monday’s “The Herd.” “Sean McDermott [has] got eight playoff wins. You can do a lot worse than Sean McDermott, but for Buffalo, it’s different. Josh Allen changes the calculus. The standard changes when you get a [John] Elway and Peyton Manning. You’ve got to have a [Bill] Belichick, [Bill] Walsh, Andy Reid or Jimmy Johnson.
“I don’t know if Brian Daboll is that, but John Harbaugh is off the market. Jim Harbaugh is off the market. Sean Payton is taken [and] so is Mike Vrabel. To me, Brian Daboll — who’s been in that room, worked with Josh and is an offensive coordinator who has worked every ounce out of his star quarterback — is the answer.”
Bills fire Sean McDermott after losing 33-30 in OT to the Broncos
Daboll was fired as Giants’ head coach in the midst of his fourth season in November 2025, posting a 20-40-1 record in his tenure with the organization. However, as Cowherd mentioned, Daboll does have some past success. He led the Giants to a surprise turnaround in his first season with the organization, going 9-7-1 as they were able to reach the divisional round in 2022. Jones also went from being viewed as a bust to a viable starting quarterback under Daboll’s watch. After the team let Jones go in 2024, Daboll helped develop Jaxson Dart into becoming one of the league’s top dual-threat quarterbacks as a rookie in 2025.
Prior to that, Daboll’s claim to fame was helping turn Allen into arguably the most improved quarterback prospect of all time. By Allen’s third season with Daboll in 2020, the star quarterback emerged as an MVP candidate and the Bills began their run of five consecutive AFC East titles. Daboll spent four seasons as the Bills’ offensive coordinator.
Daboll also has some championship experience in his past. He was the New England Patriots’ tight ends coach for four seasons (2013-16), winning two Super Bowls during his time there. Daboll also helped Alabama win the national championship in his lone season as its offensive coordinator (2017).
However, Cowherd doesn’t want the Bills to solely prioritize championship pedigree in their search for their next head coach. In fact, there’s one Super Bowl head coach he wouldn’t like to see them hire.
“You can’t go with Mike McCarthy,” Cowherd said. “His teams, like McDermott, feel like they’re not quite buttoned up and shrink in the playoffs. Can’t go with McCarthy — more of the same. Jesse Minter is a great defensive coordinator, but do you want to go with a defensive coach?
“How about somebody that’s proved it.”
McCarthy struggled in the postseason after helping the Green Bay Packers win the Super Bowl in 2010. He has gone 6-9 in the playoffs since then, failing to make it back to the Super Bowl between his stints with the Packers and Dallas Cowboys. He has also made the conference championship game only twice in those nine playoff trips.
The Bills have had similar playoff woes under McDermott. They reached the AFC Championship Game just twice in eight playoff trips with McDermott. They lost in the postseason by three points or fewer in four of their past five trips, showing that they’re close but couldn’t get over the hump.
Their latest playoff shortcoming came against the Denver Broncos in the divisional round on Saturday. The Bills were nearly able to win after Allen committed four turnovers (two interceptions, two fumbles) but lost in overtime after giving up a touchdown in the final minute of regulation.
With the way the Bills’ playoff losses have played out, there’s one thing Cowherd wants them to prioritize in their head coach search: find the best person who can alleviate the pressure off Allen.
“Saturday, Bo Nix kind of did what he wanted,” Cowherd said. “Five turnovers on offense. It feels like so often that Josh Allen is pressing to put on a cape, get in a phone booth and come out and make a play to overcome his lack of receiving help or a defense that can be good at times, but isn’t special. It isn’t as good as the [Los Angeles] Rams. It’s not even as good as the injury-plagued Niners. It’s certainly not as good as Seattle or Houston.”
Even with the struggles the Bills have had in getting over the hump, though, Cowherd is still pretty bullish about their head coach vacancy.
“This is a great job,” Cowherd said. “I’m sitting here thinking — John Harbaugh and Kevin Stefanski are probably sitting there, checking their contracts to make sure the ink is dry. Starting in 2020 until today, they’re second in the NFL in wins, first in points per game and first in point differential. … Maybe most of it is [because of] Josh Allen.”
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