Things are stirring at the Buffalo Bills, with quarterback Josh Allen having been pulled into the conversation surrounding head coach Sean McDermott’s firing. The team was knocked out of the playoffs by the Denver Broncos, marking yet another postseason disappointment under McDermott’s reign. Hence, owner Terry Pegula and the Bills brass decided to move in a new direction at the head coach position.
What did NFL legend Terrell Owens think of this?
Legendary WR Terrell Owens Hints At QB Josh Allen Being the Problem at the Bills, Not Sean McDermott
Owens, who played for Buffalo for one season in 2009, was highly dissatisfied with the franchise’s decision to fire McDermott. The coach served in blue and red for nine years, booking a record of 98-50. Allen won the MVP under his rule in 2024, speaking volumes about his leadership and coaching abilities.
Owens shared a Change.org petition to reinstate McDermott as head coach, firmly believing the seasoned leader is still the team’s best option. He also hinted that Allen is largely to blame for the franchise’s shortcomings, failing to step up when “the team needed him most.”
“Reinstate Sean McDermott to the Buffalo Bills – Sign the Petition!” Owens posted on X. “Respectfully, understanding the role and responsibilities of a head coach but this is definitely a case of a player who has underperformed when the team needed him most. I, like many, don’t understand the rationale behind this firing even hearing the owner’s position.”
This isn’t the first time that Change.org has been pulled into NFL conversations.
In 2022, the Indianapolis Colts saw a similar situation when they appointed Jeff Saturday as interim head coach after firing Frank Reich at 3-5-1. A petition was formed, urging owner Jim Irsay not to hire Saturday full-time due to his lack of experience.
The interim coach ultimately went 1-7 down the stretch, and Indy went with Shane Steichen in 2023. The decision paid dividends, as Steichen almost got the Colts to the playoffs this season, had it not been for quarterback Daniel Jones’s injury.
Mike Tomlin similarly saw the heat of Pittsburgh Steelers fans in 2025. Amid frustration around the team’s recent success, a petition was launched calling for the longtime head coach to step down. While the petition, which reportedly garnered a few thousand signatures, didn’t see immediate success, Tomlin ultimately resigned after Pittsburgh’s Wild Card loss against the Houston Texans.
As for McDermott, while his impressive regular-season resume should be enough to earn him another head coaching job, his 8-8 postseason record illustrates the “wall” Buffalo had hit under his reign, as Pegula put it.
Whether Owens and the fans’ petition bears fruit remains to be seen.
