The Buffalo Bills are making a major change following their latest playoff exit.
Sean McDermott has been fired as head coach after nine seasons, the team announced Monday. The Bills will also retain and promote general manager Brandon Beane to president of football operations, the team also announced.
“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,” Bills owner Terry Pegula said. “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.”
McDermott was Buffalo’s most successful coach since Marv Levy led the Bills to four straight Super Bowl appearances in the early 1990s, going 105-58 (including the postseason) in his tenure with the Bills.
McDermott led the Bills to the postseason in eight of his nine seasons. However, despite Josh Allen emerging as one of the game’s top quarterbacks, Buffalo did not make a Super Bowl under McDermott, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs twice in the AFC Championship Game.
The Bills’ latest playoff disappointment came on Saturday, when they lost to the Denver Broncos in the divisional round 33-30. While the Bills lost in overtime, one of the turning points of the game came right before halftime, when Buffalo tried to push the ball downfield instead of kneeling the clock out. Allen fumbled with a few seconds left, allowing Denver to kick an easy field goal and go up 20-10.
[5 Takeaways From the Broncos’ Win Over the Bills]
Buffalo’s final three playoff losses have all been determined by three factors. And three of McDermott’s playoff losses led to extra time.
That features a 42-36 loss to Kansas Metropolis within the 2021 divisional spherical that’s change into dubbed “13 seconds” — the period of time Patrick Mahomes needed to full two passes for 44 yards and arrange Harrison Butker’s tying 49-yard subject objective on the ultimate play of regulation.
Regardless of Buffalo’s playoff failures, McDermott oversaw a crew that received 10 or extra regular-season video games seven straight seasons, together with two crew record-matching 13-win seasons, in 2022 and ’24.
The Payments’ resolution to fireside McDermott wasn’t welcomed by everybody within the group, although. Defensive sort out Jordan Phillips ripped the transfer in a social media put up on Monday.
“This s— right here is so silly truthfully sickening. The very best coach I’ve ever been round,” Phillips wrote in a message to his Instagram Story.
Payments defensive again Taron Johnson additionally appeared to tear the transfer, writing “smh” in a put up to his Instagram Story. An unnamed Payments participant informed WGRZ in Buffalo that they thought McDermott’s firing was “bull—-.”
With the Payments firing McDermott, there have been 10 NFL head teaching adjustments this offseason. The New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons have since employed new coaches.
McDermott may very well be a candidate for any of the opposite seven head coach vacancies. He is informed his employees he plans to proceed teaching, ESPN reported.
The Related Press contributed to this report.
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