Wade Phillips, a three-time former NFL head coach, has taken a leave of absence from his current position as head coach of the UFL’s San Antonio Brahmas.

The UFL announced on Wednesday that Phillips will step aside for personal reasons.

Offensive coordinator Payton Pardee will serve as the interim head coach for the balance of the 2025 season.

“The UFL is extremely grateful for the leadership that Wade has delivered to the UFL as head coach of the San Antonio Brahmas,” UFL president and CEO Russ Brandon and UFL executive V.P. of football operations Daryl Johnston said in a statement. “The credibility that he has brought to the UFL as a Head Coach validates what we are building as a league. This coaching legend has the respect of everyone in the league as well as throughout the entire football community for his dedication and accomplishments as a coach for over 50 years. If and when Wade is ready to return to the sidelines, the entire UFL Family will be there to cheer him on.”

Phillips coached the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL in 2023. When the XFL merged with the USFL in 2024, Phillips became head coach of the Brahmas. He led San Antonio to last year’s UFL championship.

Phillips’s coaching career began in 1969, as a graduate assistant at the University of Houston. He joined his father, Bum, in 1976 as defensive line coach of the Houston Oilers.

In 1981, he followed his father to the Saints, where he spent five seasons as defensive coordinator.

He has served as head coach of the Broncos, Bills, and Cowboys. He also worked as an interim head coach with the Saints and Falcons. After his NFL career concluded in 2019 as defensive coordinator of the Rams, he was out of football until the XFL came calling.