The Bills are home without reaching the Super Bowl once again. Buffalo might not have its offensive coordinator the next time it takes an NFL field.
Brian Daboll is again a hot name in the head coaching carousel, and after sticking around in Buffalo after receiving interest a year ago, it seems at least somewhat likely he could leave for a head job elsewhere.
His quarterback is well aware of this potential outcome, even if he doesn't like it.
"I think teams would be foolish not to offer Brian Daboll a job," Josh Allen said Monday, via ESPN's Alaina Getzenberg. "I'm praying they don't, because I want him back here, but I love him and his family too much to really think that. I think he's one of the best coaches in the league."
Allen's development into one of the league's top quarterbacks cannot be reviewed without also including Daboll's influence on him. The longtime NFL offensive assistant has been in Buffalo as the Bills' coordinator since Allen was drafted in 2018, has played an integral part in Allen's graduation from strong-armed but inconsistent passer to game-changing signal-caller, and directed the NFL’s fifth-best offense in terms of yards per game in 2021.
If Daboll leaves, Allen -- the most important player on Buffalo's roster -- will have a say in who replaces Daboll. Coach Sean McDermott told reporters Tuesday that Allen will have input on the team's process in selecting a new offensive coordinator, should Daboll depart.
“Josh Allen will be in the loop and no decision will be made without Josh," McDermott said.
One strong candidate for replacing Daboll is already on Buffalo's staff and has built a strong rapport with Allen: former University of Miami great and current Bills quarterbacks coach Ken Dorsey. Allen didn't shy away from his preference Monday.
"I think every QB would love to be a part of that process and I do know there's a guy in this building that I'm a huge advocate for," Allen said, referring to Dorsey. "Again, it's not my job. It's not my decision to make."
It's not Allen's decision to make, but as the Bills have quickly made clear, it's a choice Allen will influence to some degree. Nothing makes a transition between play-callers easier than existing familiarity. There's no reason to shake things up when those same things have been working quite well.
Promoting Dorsey might be the best move for Buffalo in the event Daboll gets a job elsewhere. But whether it's Dorsey or someone else, Allen will have a say. He's earned that right with his play, which nearly led the Bills back to the AFC Championship Game.