Buffalo Bills Coaching Search Takes Odd Turn With Interviews Of Rivers And McDaniel
Rivers' only coaching background is at the high school level, while McDaniel went 2-7 against Buffalo as the Dolphins' coach.
Just when Buffalo Bills fans were recovering from a week of utter hell, the people running the team's new head coach search fetched more fuel to fan flames of discontent.
That's because we learned on Friday that the Buffalo Bills are spending the day interviewing former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel and former (again) NFL quarterback Philip Rivers to fill their vacant head coach job.
Let that marinate for a moment.
Former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
Bills Have Had An Awful Week
Before we cook up the situation, allow some background:
The Bills lost an extremely emotional and disappointing divisional round game against the Denver Broncos last Saturday.
Coach Sean McDermott complained bitterly about a call during the loss that might've changed the course of the game, but his complaints smelled of self-defense over the job he's done as coach.
And then McDermott was fired.
Then, in a widely panned press conference, owner Terry Pegula explained the reason he fired McDermott while promoting general manager Brandon Beane is because he believed the franchise had hit the "proverbial playoff wall."
Well, the Bills then hit the ground running like James Cook in their coaching search.
Former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll. (Luke Johnson-Imagn Images)
McDaniel And Rivers Curious Candidates
They interviewed Brian Daboll, the former Giants head coach who was Buffalo's offensive coordinator years ago. That makes sense.
They interviewed offensive coordinator Joe Brady, a top in-house candidate. Logical.
They interviewed Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. Totally fine. And they are expected to talk to Broncos passing game coordinator Davis Webb, former Chargers coach and Bills assistant Anthony Lynn, and Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, who has had a handful of other head coach interviews.
All of those make total sense.
But McDaniel? Rivers?
This search just took a sharp detour off the logical rails.
Philip Rivers warms up prior to the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on December 14, 2025, in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Rivers Has No NFL Coaching Experience
Rivers arrives at his Bills interview with his coaching experience as the head coach at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Alabama.
Rivers has never been an NFL assistant, coordinator or head coach. And aside from his friendship and shared experiences with quarterback Josh Allen, he has no obvious ties to Buffalo.
So, Philip Rivers, who never won an NFL championship doing the thing he did best, which is playing football, is going to get the Buffalo Bills over "the proverbial playoff wall" and win an NFL championship by doing the thing he's never done before — coach in the NFL?
The Bills replaced a coach whose playoff record is 8-8.
Rivers' teams were 5-7 in the playoffs when he was the starting quarterback.
Philip Rivers throws a pass against the Tennessee Titans. (Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports)
Rivers A Cool Story, But Nothing Else
And, yes, Rivers getting the job sans any NFL coaching experience and then winning it all would be movie script stuff.
A truly amazing story.
But this is the NFL, folks. And fairy tales don't often happen in the league. Rivers, better than anyone, found that out in 2025 when he came out of a five-year retirement to save the Indianapolis Colts.
It might also be intriguing if McDaniel got the job after interviewing with the Bills on Friday in Florida. But this one also kind of makes little sense.
McDaniel has never coached a Super Bowl winner — not the Dolphins as a head coach, and not with the 49ers or Falcons as an assistant.
Former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel. (Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
McDaniel Struggled Against The Bills
He is nonetheless a known quantity to the Bills because they play the Dolphins twice every season. And in nine games against Buffalo, McDaniel's team managed a 2-7 record, including a playoff loss.
So, the team wanting a coach to get them over "the proverbial playoff wall" is scrutinizing a coach who got fired because his team couldn't even get to the playoffs the last two years and ran headlong into the Buffalo Bills wall multiple times the past few years.
The Bills want a coach to lead them to playoff success, but are looking at a coach whose playoff record against the Bills is 0-1.
Needless to say, the Bills are having quite a week.