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The body wasn’t even cold before the Buffalo Bills decided to let go of Sean McDermott.
The Bills fired McDermott on Monday following the team’s heartbreaking playoff loss to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Divisional Round.
That loss, team owner Terry Pegula said, single-handedly cost McDermott his job.
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Head coach Sean McDermott and owner Terry Pegula of the Buffalo Bills look on before a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on December 12, 2021 in Tampa, Florida. (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
“My decision to hire a new coach was based on the results of our game in Denver,” Pegula told reporters Wednesday alongside general manager Brandon Beane.
“I looked around, the first thing I noticed was our quarterback, his head down, crying. I looked at all the other players, I looked at their faces and our coaches, I walked over to Josh. [Allen]he didn’t even recognize that I was there. The first thing I said to him was, “It was a trap.” We all know what I’m talking about. He didn’t recognize me. He sat there sobbing. He was listless. He had given everything to try to win this match. And looking around, so did all the other players on the team.”
“I didn’t fire a coach because of a bad call by a referee. If I can take you into that locker room, it feels like we’re hitting the playoff wall year after year,” Pegula added.
The owner was also careful to note that Allen had no influence on the decision.
“I didn’t talk to Josh about it. I talked to him afterward, but that conversation will remain private,” Pegula said.
Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula looks on before the game against the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional Playoffs at Highmark Stadium on January 19, 2025 in Orchard Park, New York. (Timothy T. Ludwig/Getty Images)
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Beane was asked about the lack of success at wide receivers, particularly at Keon Coleman, but Pegula stepped in and blamed “coaching” on the first pick of the second round in 2024. Ladd McConkey was the next selection.
“The coaching staff pushed to recruit Keon,” Pegula said. “I’m not saying Brandon wouldn’t have drafted him, but he wasn’t their next pick. Brandon was a team player and followed the advice of his coaching staff who cared deeply about the player. He, for some reason, took heat about it and didn’t say a word about it. But I’m here to tell you the real story.”
The loss marked another blow to McDermott’s tenure as head coach of the Bills. McDermott took the job before the start of the 2017 season, and Buffalo has only finished below .500 once since then. He helped the Bills reach the playoffs in eight of his nine seasons. The team appeared in the conference title game twice but never returned to the Super Bowl.
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott speaks during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Rey Del Rio)
Many thought the Bills were a team of destiny this year, considering Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, and Lamar Jackson all didn’t make the playoffs.
Alas, Jarrett Stidham will face Drake Maye for a trip to the Super Bowl.
