The Buffalo Bills have made a major decision less than two days after losing to the Denver Broncos in the divisional round of the playoffs. The team has fired head coach Sean McDermott.
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Multiple NFL insiders reported the news on Monday morning, including NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and ESPN's Adam Schefter. Rapoport, in particular, broke into the morning's episode of "GMFB" to say that the team was holding a meeting with the other coaches to inform them.
McDermott ends his Bills tenure with an overall record of 98-50. He and the Bills have gone 8-8 in the playoffs. General manager Brandon Beane, for comparison, has received a promotion. He is now president of football operations/GM.
Live TV can take you in a lot of directions. Sometimes, news breaks in real time. Here is how the news that the #Bills fired coach Sean McDermott ended up on @GMFB. pic.twitter.com/wRLQIBmWVp
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 19, 2026
"Sean has done an (admirable) job of leading our football team for the past nine seasons," owner Terry Pagula said in a statement. "But I feel we are in need of a new structure within our leadership to give this organization the best opportunity to take our team to the next level. We owe that to our players and to Bills Mafia.
"Sean helped change the mindset of this organization and was instrumental in the Bills becoming a perennial playoff team. I respect all the work, loyalty, and attention to detail he showed for this team and the community. I wish Sean, Jamie, and his family all the best."
According to the statement, Beane will lead the search for the new head coach as the Bills attempt to find someone to keep the team in contention for playoff appearances and division wins.
McDermott, a former defensive coordinator for the Eagles and Panthers, took over as the head coach of the Bills in 2017. He faced the tall task of bringing the franchise back to prominence after an era of heartbreak.
The team, at that point, had not been to the playoffs since the 1999 season. It had gone through seven full-time head coaches and had finished in the bottom half of the division 15 times. The only winning seasons between 1999 and 2017 were 2004 (9-7) and 2014 (9-7).
The first season under McDermott featured the Bills going 9-7 again with journeyman quarterback Tyrod Taylor under center. The team made the playoffs but lost in the wild card round.
The 2018 season served as a major turning point for the franchise. The Bills selected Josh Allen out of Wyoming and made him a starter. And while the team only went 6-10 that year, it set up future statistical success.
The Bills have made the playoffs every season since 2019 while winning the AFC East five consecutive times. They have reached the AFC championship game twice.
However, the Bills have not been able to break through and reach the Super Bowl. The team has fallen short of the ultimate goal in all nine seasons of McDermott's tenure.
The overtime loss to the Broncos, in particular, saw the entire team struggle. Allen threw two interceptions and fumbled three times, losing two. Running back James Cook also lost a fumble.
Meanwhile, the defense allowed Bo Nix to become the first Broncos quarterback since John Elway to throw three touchdowns in a playoff win.
