There is unanimity at the top of the USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll for the first time this season.

Arizona managed to avoid the upset bug for another week. Thus the still-undefeated Wildcats remain at No. 1 for a second consecutive poll, this time claiming all 31 first-place votes. Last week’s second-ranked team wasn’t as fortunate, as Iowa State tumbles all the way to No. 9 after dropping a pair of road games in the Big 12.

New No. 2 Michigan leads a succession of teams moving up a notch as a result of the Cyclones’ fall. Connecticut, Purdue and Duke round out the top five, followed by Houston, Nebraska and Gonzaga. The Cornhuskers, now at No. 7 and one of only three remaining teams yet to lose, continues to establish new all-time high rankings for the program. Michigan State is back in the top 10, followed by No. 11 Illinois and No. 12 Texas Tech, as those three each move up two positions.

TOP 25: Complete USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball poll

Vanderbilt is another team falling back after slipping six spots to No. 14.

North Carolina went 0-2 in the Bay Area last week but hangs on to a spot in the poll at No. 24, down nine places. Making its season debut in the poll is No. 23 Saint Louis, the first top-25 appearance for the Billikens since January of 2021. No. 25 St. John’s also rejoins the rankings, as Utah State and Iowa drop out.

The NBA announced its All-Star starters on Monday and to the surprise of no one, Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić took center stage, winning the fan poll by almost 200,000 votes.

The announcement came during the NBA on NBC pregame show ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder-Cleveland Cavaliers game to tip-off the league’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day broadcast slate.

The fan vote accounted for 50% of the selection process, along with a survey of NBA players and a media panel that were each responsible for 25%. The starters were chosen regardless of position.

Dončić — who led both previous rounds of the fan vote in the weeks leading up to Monday’s reveal — held onto his lead with 3,402,967 total votes. He was the only player in the Western Conference to break three million votes; the next closest player to him was Giannis Antetokounmpo, who received 3,218,398 votes.

Despite being the top vote-getter among fans, Doncic finished sixth in the player survey and second in the media survey with 95 votes apiece. Notably, his Lakers running mate, LeBron James, saw his 21-year all-star starter streak end.

NBA All-Star Game starters

Western Conference

Here is the full starting five for the West:

Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors (12th All-Star selection)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder (fourth)
Luka Dončić, Los Angeles Lakers (sixth)
Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs (second)
Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets (eighth)

Eastern Conference

Here are all five starters from the East:

Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons (second All-Star selection)
Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks (third)
Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers (second)
Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics (fifth)
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks (10th)

When is the 2026 NBA All-Star Game?

This year’s All-Star Weekend will be held from February 13-15 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. The festivities will tip-off on Friday with the Celebrity All-Star Game and Rising Stars Game, followed by the three-point and dunk contest on Saturday all leading up to Sunday’s All-Star Game.

This year’s format, however, will be a little different. Instead of a traditional East vs. West matchup or the pickup-style experiments of years past, the NBA is pivoting to a USA vs. the World format. The All-Stars will be split into three teams consisting of eight players and will compete in a round-robin tournament. Reserves will be chosen by the coaches, though there is a contingency plan in which commissioner Adam Silver would fill out the teams if there are not enough domestic or international players.

Sean McDermott’s time as the Buffalo Bills coach has come to an end after nine seasons.

The Bills have fired McDermott after the team’s 33-30 overtime loss to the Denver Broncos in the divisional round of the 2025 NFL playoffs, according to multiple reports.

McDermott posted a 98-50 record across his nine seasons with the Bills and only once had a losing season. The franchise won at least 10 games over each of his final seven seasons while Josh Allen developed into a perennial MVP candidate under his watch.

However, McDermott was never able to get the Bills over the hump during the NFL postseason. Buffalo made it as far as the AFC championship game under his watch but never played in a Super Bowl.

The team’s latest early exit – this time in a playoff field without Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow – was the death knell for McDermott’s term in Buffalo. As such, the Bills will look for a new coach for the first time since the 2017 NFL offseason.

Who could Buffalo target? Here’s a look at some of the top coaching candidates the Bills could consider.

Bills coaching candidates: Who could replace Sean McDermott?

Joe Brady, Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator

Brady has drawn interest for coaching jobs around the NFL for the better part of two seasons. Could the Bills consider promoting the 36-year-old internally to replace McDermott?

Brady helped lead the Bills to a strong offensive season in 2025, as they finished third in the NFL in offensive EPA per play, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. Josh Allen has thrived under Brady’s leadership, which isn’t a surprise. Brady has a proven track record of getting the most out of elite-level quarterbacks, as he also oversaw Joe Burrow’s historic final season at LSU in addition to Allen’s 2024 NFL MVP campaign.

Davis Webb, Denver Broncos passing game coordinator

There are plenty of other young, offensive-minded head coaches the Bills could target if they want a fresh voice. One such option would be Webb, who is only turning 31 ahead of the AFC championship game but has earned head coaching interviews this offseason.

Webb spent six seasons as an NFL backup quarterback before joining the Broncos in 2023 as their quarterbacks coach. Webb has quickly impressed, milking a respectable 98 passer rating from Russell Wilson in 2023 before developing Bo Nix into a solid starter who led Denver to playoff appearances in back-to-back seasons.

Webb spent the 2019-21 NFL seasons in the Bills’ quarterback room, so the organization is familiar with him. It’s just a matter of whether the team believes he is seasoned enough to earn a head coaching opportunity so soon.

Nate Scheelhaase, Los Angeles Rams passing game coordinator

Scheelhaase is another sharp, offensive-minded candidate who is drawing interest during this year’s coach hiring cycle. He has interviewed with the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers, so Buffalo could be interested in kicking the tires on the 35-year-old.

Scheelhaase has done excellent work in his first season as the Rams’ passing game coordinator. He helped lead Matthew Stafford to an MVP-caliber season – during which the 37-year-old quarterback completed 65% of his passes for 4,707 yards, a league-best 46 touchdowns and just eight interceptions – while Puka Nacua continued to blossom into one of the NFL’s best receivers under his watch.

Like Webb, Scheelhaase has high-level quarterback experience of his own. He spent four years as a starter at Illinois from 2010-13 and first coached in the college ranks. He notably spent six seasons on Matt Campbell’s staff at Iowa State before joining Sean McVay in the NFL.

Given the success of McVay’s coaching tree, it would hardly be a surprise to see a team like the Bills take a flier on Scheelhaase to bring a fresh, offensive perspective to the team.

Klint Kubiak, Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator

If the Bills are looking for a more proven play-caller, they could consider targeting someone like Kubiak. The 38-year-old has called plays the last two seasons for the Seahawks and Saints and has found success doing so.

This year, Kubiak has helped lead the Seahawks to the NFC championship game. Seattle has posted a top-three scoring offense in his first season while free-agent acquisition Sam Darnold has performed well under his tutelage. Darnold has built upon his 2024 success with the Minnesota Vikings and became just the second quarterback in NFL history to win 14 games in back-to-back seasons, alongside Tom Brady.

Kubiak found similar success with Derek Carr in 2024, so his track record getting the most out of quarterbacks will impress front offices. He has also worked with Kyle Shanahan (2023) and is the son of Super Bowl-winning coach Gary Kubiak.

Brian Daboll, former New York Giants head coach

Daboll probably isn’t going to immediately get another head coaching job after his disappointing three-plus season stint with the Giants. He posted a 20-40-1 record over that span, so he’s more likely to earn an offensive coordinator role during the 2026 hiring cycle.

Still, Daboll had a successful four-year stint as the Bills offensive coordinator during which he helped develop Allen into the star he is today. That could be enough to land him an interview as the Bills look to keep their explosive, Allen-led offense intact after McDermott’s departure.

Chris Shula, Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator

If the Bills simply feel like they need a new voice, they could consider bringing in a defensive-minded candidate. Shula has drawn interest during the 2026 hiring cycle, with his leadership skills being lauded as well as his defense’s performance.

Shula led the Rams to a top-10 defense in terms of EPA per play during the 2025 NFL season, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. That could interest the Bills, as could Shula’s potential ability to bring over an offensive coordinator candidate who is versed in Sean McVay’s offense.

Shula the grandson of the NFL’s all-time wins leader, Don Shula.

Jesse Minter, Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator

Minter is another up-and-coming defensive coordinator who would make for a strong first-time hire candidate. The 42-year-old has experience working for both John and Jim Harbaugh and has helped turn the Chargers defense into one of the league’s most consistent units.

The Chargers had the NFL’s No. 1 scoring defense in 2024, Minter’s first season with the team, and ranked eighth in defensive EPA per play this season, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. He could similarly help Buffalo’s defense improve after it struggled against the run and was more of a bend-don’t-break unit in 2025.

Brian Flores, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator

The Bills are familiar with Flores from his three-year stint as the Dolphins’ head coach. The 44-year-old is coming off an impressive stay as the Vikings’ defensive coordinator, during which he turned Minnesota from a league-worst unit in 2022 to a defense that led the NFL in pressure rate (41.4%) during the 2025 season, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats.

Flores would give the Bills defense an attack-minded identity that would pair well with the team’s already explosive offense.

Will Bills target Mike Tomlin to replace Sean McDermott?

Tomlin would ordinarily be a top target for the Bills and other teams around the NFL after his decision to step down from the Steelers following their wild-card loss to the Texans.

However, all reports indicate Tomlin is planning not to coach during the 2026 NFL season. That included a report from NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, who reiterated Tomlin’s intentions on NFL Network on Jan. 19.

Additionally, as Tomlin stepped down from his role with the Steelers, he remains under contract with the team. As such, any decision for the 53-year-old to return to coaching in 2026 would require convincing Pittsburgh to trade his rights to the team looking to hire him.

That additional complication could scare off any team interested in Tomlin. And again, it seems like the long-time Steelers coach wants at least a year off from coaching anyway.

The NBA has announced its All-Star starters for the 2026 contest.

And for the first time in 21 seasons, LeBron James was not selected as one of the first five, though he still has the chance to extend his record streak of consecutive All-Star selections.

The NBA made the announcement Monday, Jan. 19, during the pre-game show leading into the Oklahoma City-Cleveland Cavaliers game that’s part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day showcase.

Starters were selected through a fan vote (50% weight), and a survey of NBA players (25%) and a media panel (25%). Players were selected without regard for position. Accounting and services giant Ernst & Young managed and certified the surveys.

The format for this year’s game, however, will be different this season. The league is going to a USA versus the world format in which three, eight-player teams will compete in a round-robin tournament. The East and West starters, therefore, will be slotted into those eight-player teams. NBA coaches will select All-Star reserves, but if there are not enough domestic or international player, NBA commissioner Adam Silver will intervene to fill out the teams.

Here are the 10 starters for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, which will be held Feb. 15 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California:

NBA All-Star Game starters

Eastern Conference

Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons (second All-Star selection)

Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks (third)

Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers (second)

Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics (fifth)

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks (10th)

Western Conference

Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors (12th All-Star selection)

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder (fourth)

Luka Dončić, Los Angeles Lakers (sixth)

Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs (second)

Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets (eighth)

Rebecca Lobo broke some news last week when she appeared on “A Touch More,” the podcast co-hosted by Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe: Next season, UConn and LSU are going to meet in a neutral-site non-conference game in Nashville, Tennessee.

Multiple sources confirmed to USA Today Sports this game is happening. The Huskies and the Tigers will meet in Bridgestone Arena — the home of the NHL’s Nashville Predators — and it will air on ESPN. The game is being organized by ESPN Events, but it’s unclear if the matchup is a one-off or part of a double-header.

UConn coach Geno Auriemma seemingly confirmed the matchup on Sunday, reacting to the news that Lobo spilled the beans on Bird’s podcast in the only way he can: “People join the media and they can’t keep a secret.”

Auriemma added no date has been finalized, but he’s hoping it’s “one of those January or February” games. Over the past few years, UConn has tried to schedule one or two non-conference games during the final two months of the regular season, playing teams like Notre Dame, Tennessee and South Carolina. Those matchups often give UConn the opportunity to test themselves against NCAA Tournament-level competition and get resume-boosting victories.

LSU coach Kim Mulkey didn’t speak to reporters after the Tigers’ win over Oklahoma on Sunday. According to a team spokesperson, she had to attend to “a personal family matter.”

UConn and LSU haven’t played since Mulkey took over as Tigers coach in 2021. They last played in 2016, with the Huskies winning a true road game in Baton Rouge. Dating back to her days at Baylor, Auriemma is 5-4 all-time against teams coached by Mulkey.

Knowing this matchup is happening, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the NCAA Tournament selection committee set up a scenario where LSU and UConn could meet in a Sweet 16 or Elite Eight matchup this season, pitting recognizable stars like Flau’Jae Johnson and Azzi Fudd against each other. After all, part of the committee’s job is to make a great product for television.

What about the rest of the Big East?

Seton Hall coach Tony Bozzella understands the makeup of the Big East and doesn’t have any delusions about the best team in the conference.

Since No. 1-ranked UConn returned to the league in 2021, it has won five consecutive regular season and conference tournament championships. Dating back to the Huskies’ days in the old Big East, they won seven of the nine conference tournaments played between 2005 and 2013 before spending nearly a decade in the American Conference.

UConn is at the top, and then everyone else is battling for position in the Big East standings. And that’s the way it’s been for a long time.

“The hard part about our league is, we know we’re not getting the automatic bid, right? We know who’s going to win. So, you got to have a good enough record to get an at-large (bid to the NCAA Tournament),” Bozzella told USA Today Sports. “I’m hoping that those people on the committee are smart enough to know that finishing second in the Big East is like finishing first in the Ivy and the A-10, because there’s no UConn. Sometimes our numbers analytically get skewed because you’re playing UConn and you’re losing by 30 or 40. They’re like, ‘Well, you should be closer.’

“Did you tell South Carolina that in the championship game last year? No.”

As of Monday, the Big East has two teams not named UConn ranked in the top 50 of NET: Villanova and Bozzella’s Seton Hall. Currently, Villanova has the better resume as it’s 37th in NET, 37th in WAB (wins above bubble), and 4-4 in Quad 1 and 2 games. Bozzella’s Pirates, meanwhile, are 0-4 in those games. Three mid-major programs — Princeton, North Dakota State and Richmond — are ahead of Seton Hall in the NET.

Bozzella knows his Pirates have work to do, but he also likes their chances of cracking the field of 68 for the first time since 2016.

“I do like my team. I think we’re right on the NCAA bubble,” Bozzella said. “We got to win our games. And now, they want you to win by a certain amount, which is another issue… But I do like my team. We have two dynamic First Team All-Big East guards.”

The Pirates have four players averaging double-digits in scoring and one of the team’s strengths is its discipline when it comes to fouling. Seton Hall is 31st nationally in foul rate (17.4%) and 14th in percentage of points allowed from the free throw line (13.1%).

Seton Hall is 13-5 this season and 7-2 in Big East play. Their non-conference slate was highlighted by a win over Auburn, which just beat a nationally ranked Alabama team. What the Pirates don’t want to be doing is asking what-could-have-been if they get left on the wrong side of the bubble this year. Single-digit losses to Princeton, N.C. State and Columbia could come back to haunt them.

Hot Seat Watch: Penn State, Yale

Two jobs that several sources around women’s college basketball expect to open at the end of this season are Penn State and Yale.

Carolyn Kieger has been the head coach of the Nittany Lions since 2019. In that stretch, she’s never made the NCAA Tournament and Penn State has twice recorded its worst record in Big Ten play in program history, finishing last season and the 2019-20 campaign 1-17 in the conference. Kieger took Marquette to three NCAA Tournaments, but has won 40.6% of her games in State College, Pennsylvania.

Penn State has given Kieger time to build and improve the program. The Nittany Lions handed her a contract extension in 2022 after an 11-18 season and she has also remained the head coach despite allegations of bullying and misconduct by former players. But the results haven’t been there for Kieger. After a loss on Sunday to Rutgers, Penn State fell to 7-12 and 0-8 in conference play.

At Yale, wins have been hard to come by for Dalila Eshe. Over the past decade — beginning with Courtney Banghart’s dominance at Princeton to the conference getting three bids to the NCAA Tournament last year — the Ivy League has established itself as one of the best mid-major conferences in women’s basketball. But one of the Ivy’s most recognizable brands in Yale hasn’t been part of that surge in success lately.

Eshe was hired in 2022 after Allison Guth parlayed five consecutive winning seasons — and a WBI championship — into the Loyola Chicago job. And Yale just hasn’t been good under Eshe’s watch. They’re 4-12 this season, on pace for their third consecutive year with single-digit wins.

Since 2024, three players have quit the team and one was removed from the squad. Neither of them resurfaced elsewhere in women’s college basketball. One of them, Nyla McGill, was the Ivy League’s Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2023. With the players that have stuck around, Eshe’s teams are 29-68 across four seasons.

Yale athletic director Vicky Chun serves on the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee. Lately, she hasn’t had much to brag about regarding her school’s women’s basketball team in those meetings.

Tip-ins

Navy picked up a free win on Saturday when Lehigh forfeited “due to an insufficient number of healthy players available to safely compete.” The preseason favorites in the Patriot League, the Midshipmen are 5-1 in conference play. Zanai Barnett-Gay is the one of two players in the country averaging at least 17 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals per game. The other is UConn’s Sarah Strong.
Leah Macy announced on Instagram last week that she will not play for Notre Dame this season. A five-star prospect ranked 19th in the 2025 class, Macy suffered a lower leg injury near the end of her high school career, had surgery and has been rehabbing for about a year. Macy wrote: “While I have made significant progress in healing from my injury, I know there is still work to do.”

The Detroit Lions have hired Drew Petzing as their new offensive coordinator, according to multiple reports.
Petzing previously served as the offensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals for three seasons.
He replaces John Morton, who was initially hired to succeed former OC Ben Johnson.

The Detroit Lions hired Drew Petzing as offensive coordinator, according to multiple reports, as the quest to find Ben Johnson’s suitable and long-term replacement for head coach Dan Campbell entered its second phase.

Petzing was the Arizona Cardinals’ offensive coordinator for the past three seasons, but he was not retained along with the rest of Jonathan Gannon’s staff following the 2025 season. Prior to his stint with Arizona, Petzing coached wide receivers, quarterbacks and tight ends with the Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns and learned in Kevin Stefanski’s system.

Campbell initially tapped John Morton to succeed Johnson, who was hired to be the Chicago Bears’ head coach a year ago after his success with the Lions caused him to become the hottest name on the coaching carousel for more than one cycle.

Detroit’s counting stats – the Lions finished the season ranked fourth in scoring and fifth in yards per game – hid the step back the offense took in 2025. Campbell took over play-calling duties in November and Detroit missed the playoffs at 9-8 one season after being the NFC’s No. 1 seed and winning 15 games.

Morocco star Brahim Díaz has apologized after his late penalty miss cost his team a chance to win the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on home soil.

In a chaotic sequence near the end of the match, Morocco was handed a golden opportunity to win the title after Senegal was whistled for a controversial penalty with the game tied 0-0.

Senegal manager Pape Thiaw called his players off the pitch in protest, leading to an extended break as they went into the locker room. After nearly 15 minutes, captain Sadio Mané finally convinced his teammates to return.

Díaz attempted a chipped Panenka penalty in the 24th minute of second-half stoppage time, but it didn’t fool Édouard Mendy at all. The Senegal goalkeeper stood still and easily caught the attempt, sending the game into extra time.

Senegal midfielder Pape Gueye found a winner in the 94th minute, giving the Lions of Teranga their second African title in three tournaments.

On Monday, Díaz posted a heartfelt apology on Instagram as he processed how close his country was to its first AFCON title since 1976.

‘My soul aches. I dreamed of this title thanks to all the love you’ve given me, every message, every show of support that made me feel I wasn’t alone. I fought with everything I had, with my heart above all else,’ the Real Madrid attacker said.

‘Yesterday I failed, and I take full responsibility and apologize from the bottom of my heart.

‘It will be hard to recover, because this wound doesn’t heal easily, but I will try. Not for myself, but for everyone who believed in me and for everyone who suffered with me.

‘I will keep going until one day I can repay all this love and be a source of pride for my Moroccan people.’

Despite the miss, Díaz still won the AFCON Golden Boot as the tournament’s top scorer with five goals.

The Buffalo Bills will not be running it back for a 10th time with Sean McDermott.

Monday, the team fired its head coach of the past nine seasons following its latest playoff failure, Buffalo losing in overtime Saturday to the Denver Broncos 33-30.

An announcement made on X, presumably filtered through owner and team president Terry Pegula, claimed the franchise is ‘in need of a new structure within our leadership to give this organization the best opportunity to take our team to the next level. We owe that to our players and to Bills Mafia.’

General manager Brandon Beane was retained and will also now serve as the president of football operations. His first order of business will be identifying Buffalo’s next head coach.

As for McDermott, he finishes his tenure with a 106-58 record (including postseason). However his team, despite the presence of 2024 league MVP Josh Allen, never reached the Super Bowl. Saturday’s defeat in Denver followed a pattern of heartbreaking playoff losses that included two AFC championship game defeats to the Kansas City Chiefs.

A tearful Allen, who committed an uncharacteristic four turnovers in Saturday’s loss, took the blame for the Bills’ latest playoff failure, but McDermott was quick to come to his defense.

‘It’s not on (Allen),’ said McDermott, whose team trailed 20-10 at halftime before Allen brought it back and nearly won the game in regulation.

‘We had opportunities, all of us. And I’m extremely proud of him. He’s a tremendous person, tremendous leader, tremendous quarterback.’

Yet McDermott also bemoaned the officiating in the game, including Allen’s controversial interception in overtime, a play that launched the Broncos’ drive for a game-winning field goal.

‘I’m standing up for Buffalo, dammit,’ McDermott said after the game. ‘I’m standing up for us.

‘Because what went on is not how it should go down. These guys spent three hours out there playing football, pouring their guts out. To not even say, ‘Hey, let’s just slow this thing down.’ That’s why I’m bothered.’

Allen, who enjoyed his eighth postseason victory in this year’s wild-card round, when the Bills narrowly defeated the Jaguars in Jacksonville − Buffalo’s first playoff win on the road since 1992 − now has the most postseason wins by a quarterback who’s never appeared in the Super Bowl. He was certainly hoping to come off that list this year.

“It’s extremely difficult. I feel like I let my teammates down tonight,” Allen said at his postgame news conference Saturday, while unsuccessfully suppressing his feelings.

“Missed opportunities throughout the game. It’s been a long season. I hate how it ended, and it’s gonna stick with me for a long time.”

Continued playoff heartbreak defined McDermott-Allen era in Buffalo

A wild-card team this season, the New England Patriots ended Buffalo’s five-year run atop the AFC East. The Bills qualified for the playoffs in eight of McDermott’s nine seasons at the helm, the franchise’s longest sustained period of success since it famously lost four consecutive Super Bowls in the early 1990s. The Bills have never won a Lombardi Trophy, their two championships coming in 1964 and ’65 when they competed solely in the AFL. The Super Bowl wasn’t played until the end of the 1966 season.

Aside from McDermott’s estimable regular-season success in Western New York, another chapter from his stay should be remembered with appreciation. Buffalo’s Week 17 game of the 2022 season was canceled after safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest on the field at Cincinnati’s Paycor Stadium in front of a nationally televised Monday night audience.

Despite the team’s shock as it awaited news that Hamlin was going to survive, McDermott navigated his players though a highly emotional and uncertainty period before ultimately having it ready to play six days later, when the Bills beat the Patriots 35-23 to conclude a 13-3 regular season.

Ironically, McDermott was fired just a week after his college teammate from William & Mary, Mike Tomlin, stepped down from the Pittsburgh Steelers after seven consecutive playoff losses … and 19 straight non-losing seasons.

Buffalo becomes the 10th team to change coaches during the current hiring cycle. Only the New York Giants (John Harbaugh) and Atlanta Falcons (Kevin Stefanski) have filled their openings so far.

‘Sickening’: Bills’ Jordan Phillips reacts to McDermott’s firing

Buffalo’s decision to move on from McDermott did not sit well with one of their veteran defensive players, Jordan Phillips.

Phillips – a 33-year-old defensive tackle – posted to his Instagram story to express displeasure with the team’s decision.

‘This (expletive) here is so stupid,’ Phillips wrote, posting a caption over a breaking news graphic regarding McDermott’s firing. ‘Honestly sickening. The best coach I’ve ever been around.’

Read more of Phillips’ reaction to McDermott’s firing here.

Sean McDermott’s record with Buffalo Bills

McDermott’s regular-season record in Buffalo? An impressive 98-50 (.662) over nine seasons leading the Bills.

Even his playoff record, 8-8 with six consecutive seasons winning at least one postseason contest, would be the envy of most NFL teams. But with perennial MVP candidate Josh Allen under center, the expectations in Buffalo seem to be Super Bowl or bust.

Under McDermott, the bills had strung together seven consecutive seasons of 10-plus wins. Read a full breakdown of McDermott’s record in Buffalo here.

Buffalo Bills next head coach: Eight potential candidates

While the Bills haven’t released any information about who they’re targeting as McDermott’s successor, Buffalo’s head coaching job is sure to be attractive. With Josh Allen under center and the Bills opening a new Highmark Stadium for the 2026 season, there’s continued excitement for what’s possible in Buffalo.

One potential candidate is already in house. Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady has drawn interest for coaching jobs around the NFL for the better part of two seasons. Could the Bills consider promoting the 36-year-old internally to replace McDermott?

Brady helped lead the Bills to a strong offensive season in 2025, as they finished third in the NFL in offensive EPA per play, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. Josh Allen has thrived under Brady’s leadership, which isn’t a surprise. Brady has a proven track record of getting the most out of elite-level quarterbacks, as he also oversaw Joe Burrow’s historic final season at LSU in addition to Allen’s 2024 NFL MVP campaign.

Read USA TODAY NFL reporter Jacob Camenker’s list of potential Buffalo Bills coaching candidates here.

Potential NFL head coaching landing spots for Sean McDermott

McDermott’s impressive track record – which includes seven consecutive seasons with at least 10 wins to close his tenure in Buffalo – will surely attract attention with seven vacancies remaining around the NFL, not including the Bills. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports McDermott ‘could well emerge as a head coaching candidate’ this cycle after the long-time Bills coach told his staff he ‘intends to continue coaching.’

Which NFL teams could have an interest in hiring McDermott after his dismissal from the Bills? Read USA TODAY NFL reporter Jacob Camenker’s list of McDermott’s top potential landing spots here.