The Buffalo Bills have parted ways with head coach Sean McDermott after nine seasons and a controversial playoff exit.
Bills Mafia is searching for a new don.
The Buffalo Bills have fired head coach Sean McDermott after nine seasons at the helm. The transaction comes less than 48 hours after the franchise’s latest postseason heartbreaker, a 33-30 loss to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Divisional playoffs.
McDermott departs Western New York as the second-winningest coach in franchise history behind Marv Levy. Under his watch and collaboration with franchise quarterback Josh Allen, the Bills reached the playoffs on all but one occasion after going without in each of the 17 years prior to McDermott’s arrival from Carolina. Buffalo’s 98-50 record since 2017 is second-best in the league behind only the Kansas City Chiefs.
“Sean has done an admirable job of leading our football team for the past 9 seasons,” Bills owner Terry Pegula said in a statement. “But 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. 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.”
Alas for McDermott, his career succumbed to the bridesmaid nature of Bills football: despite everything he accomplished, Buffalo never made it beyond the AFC Championship Game during his time at the helm, failing to end its 32-year Super Bowl appearance drought (fourth-longest in the AFC behind Cleveland, New York, and Miami).
Buffalo fell to the aforementioned Chiefs in four of the eight playoff occasions, including twice in the conference finale (2020, 2024).
This postseason was widely viewed as a prime opportunity for the Bills to finally break through the silver ceiling: despite losing the AFC East title to the New England Patriots, Buffalo did not have to deal with its archenemies from Kansas City after the Chiefs’ early elimination. The Bills’ recent postseason experience was also seen as an advantage over newcomers to the elite fray such as Denver, New England, Jacksonville, and Houston, only adding to a potential aura of now or never.
But, seeded sixth on the AFC bracket, the Bills withstood a 27-24 challenge from Jacksonville in the Wild Card round before falling 33-30 in Denver on Saturday evening.
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) January 19, 2026
McDermott Sees Time In Buffalo End With Playoff Loss
McDermott, at the very least, went down fighting: often reserved in his comments (beyond a 2019 controversy that saw him reportedly use terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 as a way to emphasize effective communication), McDermott ripped officials for their controversial calls at the end of Saturday’s struggle. The Bills’ attempt at a game-winning drive, earned despite four prior turnovers, was interrupted when Denver defender Ja’Quan McMillian ripped an Allen toss that could’ve set up a game-winning field goal attempt from the arms of Brandin Cooks despite the latter appearing to have completed the process of a catch before being taken down by contact.
“It’s hard for me to understand why it was ruled the way it was ruled,” McDermott said, per Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com. “In my eyes, it was [a catch by Cooks], yes. In my eyes, it was. But even if it wasn’t, OK. Let’s just say that, and I’m being objective. Even if it wasn’t, the players are owed, to me, ‘Hey, let’s stop it. Let’s slow it down.’ Let’s put the head referee and give him a chance to look at the monitor just to make sure. Just to make sure.”
Buffalo went 8-8 in playoff games under McDermott’s watch. The combined margin of defeat in those games was 56 and three came in overtime.
The Bills host one of seven head coaching vacancies on the current NFL ledger. Despite the franchise’s star-crossed nature, the presence of Allen and several other lasting staples makes their horse of the more attractive on the coaching carousel, which also features Arizona, Baltimore, Cleveland, Las Vegas, Miami, and Pittsburgh.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
Editor's Pick
2026 NFL Postseason: Playoff Schedule & Draft Order