Sean McDermott "going outside of football" to grow ahead of return to coaching

Sean McDermott did not take another coaching job after being fired by the Bills in the wake of their playoff loss to the Broncos and that's created more time for the routines of family life that he missed out on while he was the head coach in Buffalo.

McDermott's days aren't just about drop-offs, sporting events and getting dinner ready, however. McDermott is watching film and doing research as well as picking the brains of other people as part of a process of "growing and evolving" ahead of any return to the sideline.

Some of those people are in the football world, but McDermott has also spoken to Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault and legendary wrestling coach Dan Gable about their experiences in their sports. He's also set to speak to William & Mary chancellor Robert Gates and attend leadership conferences in other spheres as part of his bid to be a better coach the next time around.

“I could go visit people I know, but I already know what they’re about and what they believe in,” McDermott said, via Mike Jones of TheAthletic.com. “But [I’m] visiting some people that do things a little bit different than maybe I’ve done. . . . It’s this guy that seems to have had success, or this gal’s had success and their personalities may be a little bit different than mine. So, I’d like to get in on the ground floor and just see how they handle the day in and day out and how it translates to the NFL. I don’t think it’s healthy to stop just in sports, but to talk to people in the corporate world, those that are high-level performers, even though it doesn’t directly overlap, there’s correlation. . . . I think going outside of football is healthy and productive and powerful.”

McDermott was 98-50 as Buffalo's head coach and he led the Bills to eight playoff appearances in nine years, but the team was never able to make it to the Super Bowl. While it remains unclear where his next opportunity will come, McDermott hopes that taking a wide view of what's next will lead to finally grabbing the brass ring.