Sean McDermott served as head coach of the Buffalo Bills for nine seasons, with the aim of taking the organization back to the Super Bowl. McDermott, though, never achieved that goal, and on Monday morning, the Bills fired him.
Many people might be scratching their heads and wondering why the Bills decided to make this move. The biggest reason is Buffalo lost a 33-30 overtime heartbreaker to the Denver Broncos on Saturday night in the AFC Divisional Round, and the team decided to make a change.
NFL Insider Offers Insight Into Bills Firing Sean McDermott
Dianna Russini, an NFL insider for The Athletic, offered a couple of insightful thoughts on why this move away from McDermott was made.
Russini posted on X, “From recent conversations with people in the Bills’ organization, the sense I get is that it felt that there were opportunities to win Saturday in Denver, officiating or otherwise. Leadership felt a change was necessary after coming up short of the Super Bowl yet again.”
If you want some perspective on the type of record McDermott put together for the Bills, ESPN’s NFL insider Adam Schefter had a short breakdown. Schefter posted on X, “9 seasons, 8 playoff appearances, 98-50 regular-season record, 5 AFC East titles”.
Sean McDermott’s tenure in Buffalo:
🏈9 seasons
🏈8 playoff appearances
🏈98-50 regular-season record
🏈5 AFC East titles https://t.co/cEeQPQn3VN— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 19, 2026
Field Yates, fantasy football and NFL draft analyst for ESPN, tossed out this tidbit, which reveals that New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel is the senior head coach now in the AFC East. Yates posted on X, “Mike Vrabel was hired 372 days ago and is now technically the longest-tenured coach in the AFC East.”
Now that the Bills’ head coaching job has opened, Russini wondered whether John Harbaugh, now head coach of the New York Giants, and Kevin Stefanski, now head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, might have changed their minds. That is, if they had known that the Bills’ opening would be available.
MORE: Sean McDermott’s Contract Details: How Much Money Do the Bills Owe After Firing HC?
On X, Russini posted on Monday morning: “For John Harbaugh and Kevin Stefanski, you have to wonder if their decision-making would have changed if they knew the opportunity to work with Josh Allen in his prime would open up.”
According to the PFSN NFL Offense Impact Metric, which is measured throughout the regular season, the Bills’ offense had an impact score of 86.5 and graded out to a B. Ultimately, their defense, led by McDermott, once again didn’t show up in the playoffs, and Buffalo’s season ended early.
With McDermott now out in Buffalo, what are his plans? Schefter reported that McDermott has no intention of going into hiding or not coaching again. He posted on X, “Former Bills HC Sean McDermott could well emerge as a head coaching candidate for some teams that now have an opening. McDermott told his staff today that he intends to continue coaching.”
So, the Bills, who desperately want to get back to the Super Bowl, are putting themselves out there in search of a new head coach. The opportunity to coach a team with quarterback Josh Allen leading the way will probably whet some coaches’ appetites.
