After being fired by the Buffalo Bills in January following a 33–30 playoff loss to the Denver Broncos, Sean McDermott is now exploring a move into media. He’s shown interest in broadcasting, and some opportunities are already coming his way as he looks at possible gigs. It seems like he’s settling into this new path pretty smoothly after coaching.

“We’re looking into some; yeah, we’ve got some suitors and are kind of trying to schedule it all out and see where it goes.” Sean McDermott said on Wednesday while appearing on The Rich Eisen Show.

While Sean McDermott has mentioned that he’s open to getting into media, he hasn’t named any specific networks or companies he might work with yet.

In a way, his next step could look similar to what Mike Tomlin is doing. After stepping away from the Pittsburgh Steelers following 18 seasons, Tomlin chose not to pursue any coaching jobs this year. Instead, he’s set to make his debut in the broadcasting industry with NBC this fall.

Notably, McDermott has made it clear that his love for coaching is still very strong.

“I love coaching,” McDermott said. “Love it. I think [I miss] just being a part of something bigger, being a part of a team. I’ve been, we all have been, parts of teams since we were this tall, and you get a chance to do that for a job.”

McDermott started his NFL coaching journey with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1999 as a scouting coordinator. After 12 years there, he moved on to the Carolina Panthers in 2011 to lead their defense.

He later became the head coach of the Buffalo Bills in 2017. During his nine seasons in Buffalo, he built a strong record of 98-50, along with an 8-8 record in the playoffs. However, he never advanced past the AFC Championship Game, which led to his firing in January this year despite his overall career success.

The Bills then promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady, while McDermott decided to step away for a bit.

For now, he’s exploring different opportunities but has also suggested that he plans to take a year off before making his next move.

Sean McDermott to take a year off from the NFL

It was expected that Sean McDermott would quickly land another NFL job, especially with 10 openings this offseason. But those roles filled up, and either team passed on him, or he chose not to move forward, despite interest from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

FOX Sports reporter Greg Auman reported that Tampa Bay did reach out about a role on Todd Bowles’ staff. However, according to Auman, the expectation all along was that McDermott would take a year off before getting back into coaching, and that is exactly what he is doing.

“Now you’re in a year where, for me, it’s a year off, right?” McDermott added. “But it’s also a year of opportunity in a lot of ways to grow and lean on my family, as we already talked about, but I think more than anything, it’s just being a part of a team.”

Additionally, in his first interview since leaving the Bills, McDermott told The Athletic that his family has moved to Charlotte. Right now, he is taking time to reset, spend time with family, and support his daughter during her senior softball season before she heads to the University of Notre Dame.

Instead of rushing back, McDermott is taking a step back. This break gives him time to grow and figure out what he wants next, which could set him up well for future openings with teams like the Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, and the Buccaneers.