No one knows yet who the Buffalo Bills will hire as their next head coach, and as of mid-January 2026 the team has not announced a hire.

What is actually confirmed?

  • The Bills have fired Sean McDermott after nine seasons and multiple playoff runs, but without a Super Bowl appearance.
  • General manager Brandon Beane has been elevated to president of football operations and is leading the coaching search.
  • Local and national coverage is treating this as one of the most attractive openings in the league because of Josh Allen in his prime.

There has been no official announcement of a new head coach as of January 20, 2026, so anything beyond this is informed speculation.

Top names being discussed

Writers, insiders, and fans are circling a handful of names who fit the “maximize Josh Allen and the offense” brief.

  • Klint Kubiak – Highlighted by Bleacher Report as perhaps the best option thanks to his offensive creativity and recent work turning Sam Darnold into an MVP-level performer in Seattle.
  • Brian Daboll – Former Bills offensive coordinator and current head coach of the Giants, repeatedly floated because of his history with Allen and Buffalo ties; even ex-Bills players have publicly pushed for him.
  • Joe Brady – Bills offensive coordinator, viewed as a logical internal promotion and already drawing head-coach interview interest elsewhere.
  • Mike McDaniel – Mentioned as the type of offensive-minded coach who fits what Buffalo wants, though he is currently a sitting head coach and not simply “available.”
  • Mike McCarthy – Former Packers and Cowboys coach, noted as a veteran option with a Super Bowl ring if the Bills prefer experience over an up-and-comer.
  • Defensive candidates (Brian Flores, Jesse Minter, etc.) – Acknowledged but generally seen as less likely, since the Bills appear focused on an offensive identity around Allen.

Talk shows and podcasts are also spitballing splashier ideas (even joking “just call the Rams or Niners” about prying away a star coach), but those are more fantasy than realistic reporting.

What direction are the Bills likely to go?

Reporting and analysis converge on a few key themes about the profile Buffalo seems to want.

  • Offense-first head coach : Ownership clearly wants someone who can squeeze every drop out of Josh Allen and finally break through to a Super Bowl.
  • Modern, creative scheme : Names like Kubiak and Daboll come up because of their reputation for quarterback-friendly designs and explosive passing games.
  • Staff-building chops : Insiders emphasize the importance of a candidate who can assemble a strong staff around Allen and sustain contention, not just call plays.
  • Cap- and roster- aware : Beane’s roster construction and the Bills’ cap situation are under scrutiny, so the new coach has to mesh with a slightly retooled approach to building around Allen.

Putting that together, the “safe” prediction from analysts is that the Bills will hire an offensive-minded coach with a track record of developing quarterbacks, which is why Kubiak, Daboll, and Brady keep surfacing in discussions.

How fans and forums are reacting

Fan and forum chatter reflects a mix of hope, anxiety, and wild theorizing.

  • Many fans are loudly campaigning for Brian Daboll , framing him as the guy who unlocked Allen the first time and could do it again.
  • Others are intrigued by a young “next big thing” like Klint Kubiak , viewing him as a long-term partner for Allen in his prime.
  • A vocal subset loves big-name fantasies (like Bill Belichick or other legendary coaches), even if these are more message-board wish lists than realistic odds.
  • There is a shared sense that the margin for error is tiny: Allen is in his peak years, and getting this hire wrong could slam the Super Bowl window shut.

“It feels like we’re one hire away from either finally getting over the hump or wasting the best quarterback we’ve ever had,” is the rough mood you see echoed in Bills communities.

So, who will they hire?

Right now, anyone claiming to know the answer is guessing. The strongest consensus is not about a name, but about a type :

  • Offensive mind who can maximize Josh Allen
  • Strong communicator and staff builder
  • Comfortable operating under intense expectations in a win-now window

Until the Bills announce an official hire, the question “who will the Bills hire as head coach” remains open—making this one of the NFL’s most-watched storylines of the 2026 offseason.

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