After another loss in the postseason, the Buffalo Bills have decided to part ways with Sean McDermott.
It's a huge loss for the Bills considering how much of a winning culture McDermott has instilled in the building, and one that some Bills fans might feel is misplaced: after all, it was general manager Brandon Beane who has missed the mark consistently when trying to construct a winning team around Josh Allen.
You might be wondering why this is all important for the Detroit Lions, though. Aside from a tidy Lake Erie connection, these are not divisional rivals nor rivals in any sense. But, the two squads are now likely to be competing for who remains as the hottest name remaining in this coaching cycle: Mike McDaniel.
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McDaniel has been interviewing for basically any and all open head coaching vacancies and offensive coordinator vacancies this offseason, doing his due diligence before making a decision. That might pay off for him in the long run, as it feels like John Harbaugh or even Kevin Stefanski might've stood pat if they knew the Bills were about to dump McDermott this offseason.
With those two off the board, McDaniel stands as the most intriguing coach on the market. Unless the Bills think Joe Brady, one of their least creative offensive coordinators in recent memory, can step up to the plate and replace McDermott, then it's likely they give McDaniel a call very soon.
It would be in his best interest to interview with a team that has Josh Allen still within his prime, although there are questions remaining about their roster construction and Beane's ability to make it work.
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Detroit hasn't gotten an answer to their open OC role just yet, but they're also not waiting around for McDaniel to make his decision, either. They've interviewed Mike Kafka, and are planning to interview Tee Martin, Zac Robinson, Jake Peetz, and Arthur Smith. Kafka, Martin, and Robinson feel like the best fits out of that group, but McDaniel shines above them all.
If you're the Lions, do you simply stand firm with the knowledge that your offense is the best available to McDaniel to coach? Or, do you begin to lose hope with such a big-name opening now available for McDaniel - and, really, available to any of the above coaches they've interviewed or plan on interviewing?
It's going to throw a wrench into their planning, to be sure. It just remains to be seen if that wrench will cause a small dent, or if the wrench is really 500 tons of crushing steel.