Getty Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott looks on during a game against the Chicago Bears.
The Buffalo Bills are losing a popular assistant coach after he opted to take a job with an emerging AFC rival.
Wide receivers coach Chad Hall has left the Bills to take on the same position with the Jacksonville Jaguars, a move that Buffalo News reporter Jay Skurski deemed “surprising” given his long tenure with the team and popularity with Bills receivers. As Skurski pointed out, Buffalo’s pass-catchers often shared praise for Hall and even came together to buy him a new truck for Christmas in 2020.
Skurski noted that Hall had interviewed for higher positions, but ended up making a lateral move to the Jaguars.
“Hall had been with the team for the past six years – overlapping with [head coach Sean] McDermott’s tenure – serving first as an offensive assistant for two years before taking over as wide receivers coach in 2019,” Skurski wrote. “Earlier this month, Hall interviewed with the Baltimore Ravens for their vacant offensive coordinator position.”
Hall Had Connections to Jaguars
As Skurski noted, the now-former Bills coach had a connection to Jacksonville during his playing days, competing for a spot in training camp in 2014 before being waived. Hall played four seasons in the NFL, making 16 catches for 155 yards with two touchdowns.
He now joins a Jaguars team that this season emerged as an unexpected contender in the AFC. Led by quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the Jaguars ended the season on a five-game winning streak to win the AFC South, then erased a 27-point deficit to beat the Los Angeles Chargers in the Super Wild Card round before losing to the Kansas City Chiefs the next week.
The move gives Hall the chance to reunite with head coach Doug Peterson after the two crossed paths several times earlier in their careers. As the Florida Times-Union noted, Pederson was on the coaching staff of the Philadelphia Eagles when Hall played there from 2010 to 2012, and Hall followed Pederson to the Kansas City Chiefs the following season.
Hall has a connection to the current Jaguars roster as well, having coached wide receiver Zay Jones during his time with the Bills.
Hall Was a Favorite Among Bills Receivers
Bills receivers were open in sharing their praise of Hall, especially All-Pro Stefon Diggs. In 2020, Diggs said Hall was “one of, if not the best coach” he had in his career.
How awesome is this? The #Bills WRs got together and bought WR Coach Chad Hall a truck from Christmas.
During training camp earlier that year, Bills receivers gave Hall a Gatorade shower to celebrate his 33rd birthday, then tracked him down that night to surprise him at dinner.
“It made me feel good,” Hall told the Buffalo News. “It made me feel like they appreciate me and I’m doing a good job so far for them.”
Hall shared some appreciation for the players as well, noting at the time that some of the veterans were close to his own age.
“Luckily, I was blessed that all the guys who came in are great, great, great role models and leaders for the younger guys, so they lead by example and verbally,” Hall said. “They’ll keep the room accountable for me, which is great. It takes a lot of stress off my life because they do it for me, because that’s the type of pros they are.”
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Popular Bills Coach Leaves in Surprise Move, Joins Emerging Rival