Does Sean McDermott Want To Return To Coaching?

Sean McDermott has not closed the door on returning to an NFL sideline, the former Buffalo Bills head coach told Rich during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, where he addressed his coaching future, his interest in media work, and the simultaneous-catch ruling that ended his last playoff run in Kansas City.

When Rich asked directly whether he still wanted to coach, McDermott did not hesitate. "Absolutely. I love coaching. Love it," he said. Pressed on what he missed most, McDermott pointed to the connective tissue of a locker room rather than the specifics of game-planning or play-calling. "I think just being a part of something bigger, right? Being a part of a team," McDermott said, framing his year away from the league as a chance to grow and lean into time with his family.

McDermott also confirmed that he is exploring television work during his year off. He told Rich that there were "some suitors" and that he was working through the scheduling, leaving the door open to a media role while he weighs his next coaching opportunity.

The conversation turned, as Rich knew it would, to the play that ended Buffalo's season against the Chiefs. McDermott said he tries to keep the moment in perspective, even as he acknowledged how much it weighed on the organization. "I think about it for our team. I think about it for the fans of the Buffalo Bills, Bills Mafia, and all the work that we put into it," McDermott said. "But I don't really think specifically a lot about that moment because at the end of the day, that's beyond my control."

Rich walked him through the counterfactual anyway. Asked whether the Bills would have won the game if the catch had been ruled in their favor, McDermott was definitive. "We would have won the football game," he said. He told Rich he was "fully confident" the team would have advanced to the Super Bowl from there, and when Rich asked whether he would still be the head coach in Buffalo had that happened, McDermott offered only, "You never know."

McDermott said he never received a satisfying explanation for the ruling and has stopped expecting one. "When you're in this position that I'm in as a coach, you really don't get an answer. You move forward," he said.

He closed the segment with the framing that has guided his post-Bills months. "Every setback in life is a chance for a comeback," McDermott said, pointing to nine seasons in Buffalo as the kind of tenure NFL head coaches rarely get to log in one place.