The Buffalo Bills fired head coach Sean McDermott in the wake of their latest playoff loss, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Buffalo lost to the Denver Broncos, 33-30 in overtime, in the divisional round on Saturday, triggering quarterback Josh Allen to cry in his post-game press conference.
GM Brandon Beane will retain his job and will run the coaching search for McDermott’s replacement. It’s unclear when Allen was consulted about the move.
“I don’t like it, I don’t like it at all,” ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said Monday on “First Take.” “I think he’s being scapegoated. Why is Beane still keeping his job? He’s the one that didn’t have the assets necessary in order for the Buffalo Bills to advance.
“If the Buffalo Bills had pulled the trigger before the trading deadline and acquired [wide receiver] Jaylen Waddle from Miami, the way this brother could play, and you had given Josh Allen that kind of a threat, what would’ve happened?
“…Josh Allen is an absolute stud, but the man needs help. If you look at how Buffalo was bereft of weapons…For him to be gone and the GM not only to keep his job, but to lead the coaching searching search, I don’t like it at all and I don’t think McDermott deserved it.”
Added ESPN’s Ryan Clark, a former NFL players: “This is absolute bullcrap that Sean McDermott lost his job. He is an excellent coach. He’s an excellent man and he should still be leading the Buffalo Bills.”
In nine seasons in Buffalo, McDermott never led the Bills to the Super Bowl, losing four times to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs.
The Bills reached the postseason eight times in nine seasons, with five AFC titles. He went 98-50 during his tenure, 73-27 over the last six seasons.
The 10 NFL head coach changes are the most in a single hiring cycle since there were 10 before the 2022 season — and tied for the most all-time along with the offseasons heading into the 1978, 1997 and 2006 seasons, per ESPN’s Paul Hembo.
