Philip Rivers had a decision to make. He could go help a team with an open vacancy, or he could stay home. In the end, the quarterback decided to leave his couch after five years of retirement and help his friend, Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen. While Rivers didn't win games for Indy, he gave the team hope.
Rivers also had another recent decision to make as well. He was a candidate for the Buffalo Bills head coach position, and he interviewed with the team after the Bills let longtime coach Sean McDermott go. Instead of trying to further his career in the NFL, though, Rivers told Buffalo, "No thanks."
According to The Athletic's Dianna Russini, Rivers has withdrawn his name from potentially becoming Josh Allen's next head coach. In other words, the quarterback was good with leaving Alabama for Indy, but doesn't want to think about going to Buffalo.
Former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers passes on the Buffalo Bills job
This also means that Philip Rivers will probably return to coaching his high school team, St. Michael. The implication is that the former Colts player would rather coach a high school football team than coach the Buffalo Bills. Maybe Buffalo is just too much of a mess.
That could be the case, too. Buffalo owner Terry Pegula made a mess of the scenario in which McDermott was fired. In his press conference discussing the dismissal, Pegula appeared to say one game (the Bills' loss to the Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round) was why McDermott was fired, even though he had been exceedingly successful. He just didn't win a Super Bowl.
Whoever takes the Bills' head coaching spot will be under a lot of pressure to win a championship. That is clearly the team's expectation, and maybe it should be, as Josh Allen is still in his prime. Philip Rivers has never coached in the NFL, and while he might be a good coach in the league, he might also be going to an organization with iffy leadership and be set up to fail.
He was likely wise to pass on taking the Buffalo job. Maybe he eventually ends up back with the Indianapolis Colts. He could be Steichen's offensive coordinator in 2027. Either way, Rivers made his stance on the Buffalo Bills clear: He would rather coach a bunch of teenage kids than direct the professionals in Buffalo.