The Buffalo Bills parted ways with longtime head coach Sean McDermott in a surprise move after last week’s playoff loss, and now they’re turning to the franchise’s most important player to help find a replacement.
The move isn’t sitting well with some team insiders, however.
The Athletic’s Tim Graham reported that the Bills are including quarterback Josh Allen in interviews to find their next head coach. While the move gives a nod to the importance Allen plays in the future and direction of the franchise, it is also leading to some criticism — including some from one of the team’s most beloved former players.
Bills Taking Heat Over Josh Allen’s Involvement
News that Allen would be involved in head coaching interviews didn’t sit well with many. Former Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick worried that Allen may lean toward a coaching candidate who won’t be so hard on him.
“They need a veteran coach, someone with a little more of an iron fist,” Fitzpatrick said on the “Fitz & Whit” podcast. “If you bring in a young, cool, hip head coach, he’s gonna be buddies with Josh and suck up to Josh and go golfing with Josh. But it’s not what he needs. What’s best for his career is someone comes in and pushes him every single day. There’s another level Josh can get to, especially mentally, but he has to be coached hard. And if you bring in a young guy I just don’t see it happening.”
Former NFL quarterback turned analyst Kurt Warner told The Athletic that he believes Allen’s input is important, but worries the team may be giving him too much power in the search for a new head coach.
“I never think it’s a bad thing to have your top guys involved and wanting to be engaged in the process,” Warner said. “But I don’t know if I’m an expert on being able to pick a head coach.
“Sean McDermott was fired. Why was he fired? Does Josh Allen even know exactly why? Because from the outside, it looked like Sean McDermott did so many things right. They’ve got to make sure the next coach does all the same things right and then does the next thing that they’re looking for to put them over the top.”
Others Support Josh Allen
Others support the decision to include Allen. Longtime NFL coach and Super Bowl champion Bruce Arians — who was vocally critical of the decision to fire McDermott — said he believes Allen deserves a spot at the interview table.
“He’s earned it,” Arians told The Athletic.
Allen himself has not spoken to media since McDermott’s firing, skipping out on press availability during the team’s locker cleanout day. Reports indicate that he will hold a press conference after a new coach has been hired, though it’s not clear when the team plans to make a decision.
The Bills have cast a wide net in their search for a new head coach, speaking to several candidates in Buffalo and a host of others in Florida — including longtime quarterback Philip Rivers, who has only coached at the high school level in his career.
