Sean McDermott Talks Josh Allen, His Coaching Future & More with Rich

Sean McDermott spent nine seasons as head coach of the Buffalo Bills and is spending this draft week, for the first time in two decades, in his living room. The former Bills head coach joined The Rich Eisen Show courtesy of the Skin Cancer Foundation and used the conversation to revisit the 2018 trade-up for Josh Allen, the simultaneous-catch ruling that ended Buffalo's most recent Super Bowl run, and a coaching career he insists is not over.

McDermott walked Rich through the choreography of a coach the day before a draft, where the heavy lifting belongs to the general manager and the head coach is mostly checking in. "The work's done, and the hay's in the barn," McDermott said, describing his day-of role as monitoring strategy rather than executing it.

On drafting Allen, McDermott confirmed Buffalo had a primary trade-up partner who fell through, forcing a pivot to the deal that ultimately moved the Bills up to seventh overall. He declined to name the first dance partner, telling Rich it could still carry ramifications. The favorite Allen story he offered was not a throw or a stat but the 2018 rookie-year leap over a Minnesota Vikings linebacker. "I'm just going to jump over this NFL player," McDermott said, recreating Allen's mindset. "Not like he's jumping over me. He's jumping over an NFL player."

Asked whether he tried to coach the hurdling out of his quarterback, McDermott said the conversation had to be inched into rather than imposed. He credited Allen with learning to play with his identity intact while taking better care of his body, calling him among the toughest players in the league.

On the simultaneous-catch ruling that ended Buffalo's AFC Championship run against the Kansas City Chiefs, McDermott told Rich plainly that he believed the Bills would have won the game, would have advanced through a snowy New England trip, and were fully capable of reaching the Super Bowl. Pressed on whether he would still be the Bills head coach had that catch gone the other way, he answered, "You never know." He added that coaches in his position rarely receive a satisfying explanation when a job ends, and that every setback in life is a chance for a comeback.

McDermott confirmed he wants to coach again and is actively fielding media offers, framing the year off as an opportunity to study leaders inside and outside sports. He pivoted the conversation to the Skin Cancer Foundation, citing his own non-melanoma diagnoses, a family history, and the death of longtime Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson. He pointed listeners to skincancer.org and pressed men, in particular, to wear sunblock or protective clothing.