Following their playoff exit, the Buffalo Bills have parted ways with head coach Sean McDermott. The candidates being touted as his successor all share a connection to star quarterback Josh Allen.

The Buffalo Bills caused a stir after their overtime loss to the Denver Broncos in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs and parted ways with head coach Sean McDermott.

In eight of his nine years in charge, the 51-year-old led the franchise to the playoffs, but the team never made it to the Super Bowl.

This marks the beginning of the search for a successor for general manager Brandon Beane, who was promoted shortly after McDermott’s departure was announced and now also holds the title of president of football operations.

ESPN analyst Peter Schrager names three promising candidates as options for the franchise. One of them is Brian Daboll.

The 50-year-old was fired in November during his fourth season as head coach of the New York Giants. Daboll has a history with the Bills and knows star quarterback Josh Allen very well. From 2018 to 2021, he served as the team’s offensive coordinator.

The expert also names Joe Brady as another option. The 36-year-old was initially quarterback coach for the Bills and has been offensive coordinator in Buffalo since 2023. Prior to that, he held the same position with the Carolina Panthers in 2020 and 2021. Brady is also in demand at other franchises and is among the coaching candidates for the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins, for example. Schrager names Davis Webb, the Broncos’ quarterback coach/pass game coordinator, as the third candidate. The 30-year-old has been working in Denver for three years and was a teammate of franchise icon Allen for three years during his playing career as a quarterback. Webb has previously interviewed with the Ravens and Las Vegas Raiders.

Yahoo Sports also names Chris Shula (defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams), Klint Kubiak (offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks), Jesse Minter (defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers), Mike LaFleur (offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams), and Brian Flores (defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings) as other options for the Bills.