Philip Rivers Pulls Himself Out of Consideration For Bills’ Head Coach – To Return To Coaching High School Football

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by Matthew MendivesJanuary 27, 2026, 1:36 am >

The Buffalo Bills were interested in hiring a former Pro Bowl quarterback as their new head coach, but it seems like the interest isn’t mutual.

Philip Rivers has pulled his name out of contention for the Bills’ head coaching vacancy. He hasn’t given a public reason. Rivers has no college or professional coaching experience. Despite that, he was interviewed for the head coaching role.

Rivers retired in 2020 to become the head coach of St. Michael’s Catholic High School. He coached them from 2021 to 2025.

After Daniel Jones was injured, the Indianapolis Colts called Rivers out of retirement. He played three games, threw four touchdowns, and recorded three interceptions.

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The Bills are currently looking to find a replacement for former head coach Sean McDermott, who they fired after a heartbreaking loss to the Broncos in the divisional round.

Despite his lack of experience, Rivers has a good relationship with the Bills’ star QB Josh Allen. Allen and Rivers both have the same agent.

Rivers has announced that he is going back to retirement after his brief stint with the Colts. He is intending to return to his coaching duties at St. Michael’s.

The Bills will now need to look elsewhere for their head coaching vacancy. The current favorites to land the job are Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady and former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll. Daboll was also the Bills’ offensive coordinator before Brady.

Regardless, all of the options they’re looking at right now lean toward offense. This is a departure from McDermott’s defensive background. McDermott was a defensive coordinator before becoming the Bills head coach. This includes being the DC for the 2015 Panthers, who went 15-1.

Although his name hasn’t been officially mentioned, Mike Tomlin would also be another option if he’s interested. Tomlin and McDermott were teammates at William & Mary.