Is Sean McDermott on the hot seat? Insider notes on Bills HC's future, Stefon Diggs speculation and Seahawks' coaching search
Is another head coaching job opening up?
There are presently a half dozen coaching vacancies in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Chargers, Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans, and Washington Commanders all looking for someone to lead the ship. Now comes word of a potential seventh opening.
Seattle Seahawks' coaching search goes on
The Seattle Seahawks are set to conduct second interviews with five head coaching candidates including Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris and Mike Kafka, the offensive coordinator with the New York Giants.
The fifth one, Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, seems the odds-on favorite to win the job if league sources are correct. Quinn has a history with the club as he was the assistant head coach and defensive line coach from 2009 and 2010, then returned as defensive coordinator for the 2013 and 2014 seasons.
The candidate who could come out of nowhere for the job is Mike Vrabel. Several Seahawks players have confided they believe Vrabel is best suited for the job and could ultimately be their man.
Whoever the club chooses may not be known for a while. Sources close to the situation tell me the franchise has a “long way to go,” before making their final decision.
Are the Buffalo Bills losing faith in Sean McDermott?
Early in December, there were rumblings Sean McDermott could be on his way out in Buffalo if the Bills did not take the next step in the playoffs. Yesterday was the third year in a row the team lost in the divisional playoffs, this one was a bad defeat at home to the Kansas City Chiefs. The team also won two fewer games in 2023 than a year ago and Josh Allen regressed.
Do the owners in Buffalo believe Sean McDermott can get the Bills to the next level after so much post-season disappointment in recent years? Or is this situation similar to the one Tony Dungy faced in Tampa Bay where he was only able to get the Buccaneers so far into the playoffs yet never made the Super Bowl?
While I think the possibility of McDermott getting fired is remote it is something to keep an eye on based on the rumblings over the past month and after yesterday’s disappointing defeat.
Latest on speculation linking Stefon Diggs with a trade away from Buffalo
I am told receiver Stefon Diggs is content in Buffalo and won’t ask to be moved. There have been reports Diggs was unhappy with his role in the Bills offense to the point his brother Trevon Diggs, a cornerback with the Dallas Cowboys, urged him to leave.
Not so, I’m told by people close to the situation. Diggs still has four years remaining on the contract he restructured with Buffalo last March.