Wade Phillips is a bit of a statistical anomaly in the NFL. You probably know him as the "Son of Bum," the guy with the silver hair and the quick-witted Twitter feed who seems to fix every defense he touches. But when you look at the actual list of Wade Phillips past teams coached, it’s a dizzying journey through nearly a third of the league.
He's been everywhere. Seriously.
Most folks remember the Dallas Cowboys or the Super Bowl run with the Denver Broncos. However, his resume is a mile long, stretching back to the 1970s and spanning across ten different NFL franchises. He didn't just coach; he fundamentally changed how some of these organizations functioned.
The Early Days: Learning Under Bum
Wade didn't just fall into coaching. He was born into it. His professional career began in 1976 with the Houston Oilers. He wasn't the guy in charge; he was working for his dad, the legendary Bum Phillips.
It was a family affair.
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He coached the defensive line there for five seasons. If you're looking for where the "Wade Phillips 3-4 defense" started, it’s right here in the Luv Ya Blue era of Houston football. He took those lessons to the New Orleans Saints in 1981, again following his father. This is where he got his first taste of being a Defensive Coordinator.
He even got his first "Head Coach" title here, technically. When Bum resigned in 1985, Wade stepped in as the interim for the final four games. He went 1-3. Not exactly a Hall of Fame start, but the seeds were sown.
The Journeyman Coordinator Years
After New Orleans, Wade started a tour of the NFL that would make a travel agent tired.
- Philadelphia Eagles (1986–1988): He was the DC under Buddy Ryan. Think about that for a second. Two of the greatest defensive minds in history in one room. He coached Reggie White here. Reggie won Defensive Player of the Year under Wade’s watch.
- Denver Broncos (1989–1992): This was his first stint in Mile High. He built a unit that helped get John Elway to Super Bowl XXIV.
Then things got interesting.
The Broncos promoted him to Head Coach in 1993. He went 9-7 his first year but got the boot after a 7-9 season in '94. It felt premature. People in Denver still argue about whether he should have stayed.
Buffalo and the Music City Miracle
If you want to talk about Wade Phillips past teams coached and not mention the Buffalo Bills, you're missing the most dramatic chapter. He arrived in 1995 as the DC and took over for Marv Levy in 1998.
He was actually a really good head coach in Buffalo.
He went 29-19 over three seasons. But he is forever linked to two things: benching Doug Flutie for Rob Johnson in the playoffs, and the "Music City Miracle" loss to the Titans. He eventually got fired because he refused to fire his special teams coach. That’s Wade for you—loyal to a fault.
The Cowboy Era and the "Interim" King
After stops as DC for the Atlanta Falcons (another interim HC stint there) and the San Diego Chargers, Jerry Jones came calling.
The Dallas Cowboys years (2007–2010) are usually how younger fans remember him. He went 13-3 in his first year. People called him "soft" because he wasn't a yeller like Bill Parcells, but the players loved him. He finally won a playoff game in 2009, but the 1-7 start in 2010 was the end of the road.
He didn't stay unemployed long. He went to the Houston Texans in 2011.
The impact was immediate. Houston had the 30th-ranked defense; Wade showed up and they jumped to 2nd. It’s a pattern that followed him his whole career. He's a "fixer."
Redemption in Denver and the Rams
The peak of his career—honestly, the absolute summit—was his return to the Denver Broncos in 2015.
He wasn't the head coach this time. He was the DC under Gary Kubiak. He took a roster with Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware and turned them into an absolute wrecking crew. They carried Peyton Manning's aging arm to a victory in Super Bowl 50. That defense didn't just win; they bullied the Panthers.
His last major NFL stop was with the Los Angeles Rams (2017–2019). He was the veteran "babysitter" for a young Sean McVay. He took them to another Super Bowl, holding Tom Brady’s Patriots to just 13 points.
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Most coordinators would give their left arm for that stat. The Rams lost 13-3, but you can't blame Wade for that.
Where He Is Now: The Spring League Specialist
You might think a guy in his late 70s would be on a beach somewhere.
Nope.
Wade is currently the head coach of the San Antonio Brahmas in the UFL. Before that, he was with the Houston Roughnecks in the XFL. He just keeps winning. He led the Brahmas to the championship game in 2024. He still runs the same 3-4 concepts his dad taught him, and it still works.
The Full List of Teams (NFL & Beyond)
If you're keeping score at home, here is the chronological breakdown of the organizations Wade has touched.
- Houston Oilers (Assistant)
- New Orleans Saints (DC / Interim HC)
- Philadelphia Eagles (DC)
- Denver Broncos (DC / HC - Two different stints)
- Buffalo Bills (DC / HC)
- Atlanta Falcons (DC / Interim HC)
- San Diego Chargers (DC)
- Dallas Cowboys (HC)
- Houston Texans (DC / Interim HC)
- Los Angeles Rams (DC)
- Houston Roughnecks (XFL HC)
- San Antonio Brahmas (UFL HC)
Why the Wade Phillips System Still Works
The reason Wade has been employed by so many teams is simple: he makes the game easy for players.
Many coordinators try to prove they are the smartest person in the room with 500-page playbooks. Wade does the opposite. He tells his pass rushers to "see ball, get ball." He prioritizes talent over scheme. It’s why guys like J.J. Watt and Aaron Donald played their best football under him.
If you are looking to understand defensive football, don't look at the complex blitz packages of the modern era. Look at how Wade uses a nose tackle to eat up blocks so his linebackers can run free. It’s old school, but it’s effective.
To truly appreciate the legacy of his coaching journey, take a look at the "coaching tree" he’s left behind. Dozens of current NFL assistants and coordinators use his terminology every Sunday. He might not be on an NFL sideline right now, but his fingerprints are all over the league.
Next Steps for Football Fans:
If you want to see his philosophy in action, track the San Antonio Brahmas during the UFL season. Watch how his linebackers flow to the ball. Alternatively, go back and watch the 2015 AFC Championship game between the Broncos and Patriots. It is a masterclass in how a Wade Phillips defense can dismantle a Hall of Fame quarterback.