The Buffalo Bills finally pulled the lever they had resisted for nearly a decade. Now the rest of the league is watching closely to see what happens next.
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Buffalo fired head coach Sean McDermott on Monday morning, less than48 hours after a divisional round loss to the Denver Broncos. Multiple NFL insiders reported the move, including ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, with Rapoport noting the organization held a meeting to inform the rest of the coaching staff.
McDermott, however, does not intend to step away. According to Schefter, he told his staff following the dismissal that he plans to continue coaching. With seven other head coaching openings currently around the league, he is expected to draw immediate interest.
McDermott leaves Buffalo with a 98-50 regular season record and an 8-8 mark in the postseason. The Bills reached the playoffs in eight of his nine seasons, won the AFC East five straight times and advanced to the AFC championship game twice. It was a stretch of sustained success the franchise had not experienced in decades.
Owner Terry Pegula praised McDermott's impact in a statement, citing his role in changing the culture while explaining that the organization felt a new leadership structure was necessary to reach the next level. General manager Brandon Beane was promoted to president of football operations and will oversee the coaching search.
McDermott took over in 2017, inheriting a team that had not reached the playoffs since 1999 and had cycled through seven head coaches. His first season ended that drought, and the selection of Josh Allen in 2018 reshaped the franchise.
The ending was messy. Allen struggled against Denver with multiple turnovers, and the defense allowed Bo Nix to throw three touchdown passes in a postseason win.
Now available, McDermott enters the market with one of the strongest résumés in the cycle. It would be surprising if he stays unemployed for long.
