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who will hire sean mcdermott

Nobody has hired Sean McDermott yet, but he is widely expected to be in the mix for several 2026 NFL openings, especially with teams that value defensive- minded head coaches and recent playoff experience.

Who will hire Sean McDermott?

Right now, Sean McDermott is a high-profile free agent coach after being fired by the Buffalo Bills in January 2026. He has made it clear he intends to keep coaching in 2026, so the main question is which team will move first.

Confirmed status and market

  • The Bills dismissed McDermott after nine seasons, multiple playoff runs, and no Super Bowl appearance, despite a strong regular-season record.
  • He is viewed as one of the most accomplished available coaches on the market, which means he is likely to get interviews quickly with teams that have vacancies.

Most-talked-about destinations

Several teams are being floated in news and rumor coverage as realistic or logical landing spots, but none have officially hired him yet.

Here are the main ones being discussed:

  • Pittsburgh Steelers (Head Coach) – Often mentioned because of their defensive identity and history of long-term coaching stability; McDermott fits that culture on paper.
  • Baltimore Ravens (Head Coach) – Reported as a “logical fit” if they want an experienced leader to steady a talented roster in transition.
  • Tennessee Titans (Head Coach) – Seen as a possibility if they decide defense and culture-building matter more than chasing a pure offensive guru for their young QB.
  • Las Vegas Raiders, Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals (Head Coach) – Listed among remaining openings in some rumor roundups, though often with less detailed connection than the Ravens/Steelers/Titans talk.

Non-HC roles: coordinator possibilities

If a head-coaching chair does not open up for him quickly, McDermott is also mentioned as a strong candidate to step back into a defensive coordinator role.

  • New York Giants (Defensive Coordinator) – Speculated as a potential spot if their current defensive staff turns over under John Harbaugh.
  • Other DC roles around the league could emerge late in the cycle, especially if teams miss on their top HC targets and reshuffle staffs.

What’s actually known vs speculation

  • Known facts :
    • He has been fired by Buffalo and is available.
* Multiple reports state teams “want to move quickly” on him and see him as a top candidate.
* He reportedly intends to coach in 2026.
  • Speculation :
    • Any specific team (Steelers, Ravens, Titans, etc.) is not confirmed; these are described as “logical fits” or “potential landing spots,” not done deals.

Until a team officially announces a hire, “who will hire Sean McDermott” is an open question; the strongest buzz right now is around head-coach vacancies like the Steelers, Ravens, and Titans, with coordinator options as a fallback.

TL;DR: No team has hired Sean McDermott yet, but current reporting most often links him to open head-coach jobs with the Steelers, Ravens, and Titans, plus a possible defensive coordinator role (for example with the Giants), all of which remain speculative until an official announcement is made.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.