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The body wasn’t even cold before the Buffalo Bills decided to let Sean McDermott go.
The Bills fired McDermott on Monday after the team’s heartbreaking playoff loss to the Denver Broncos in the AFC divisional round.
That loss, team owner Terry Pegula said, alone cost McDermott his job.
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Head coach Sean McDermott and owner Terry Pegula of the Buffalo Bills watch before a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on December 12, 2021 in Tampa, Florida. (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
“My decision to hire a new coach was based on the results of our game in Denver,” Pegula told reporters Wednesday along with general manager Brandon Beane.
“I looked around, the first thing I noticed was our quarterback with his head down crying. I looked at all the other players, looked at their faces and at our coaches, I walked over to Josh. [Allen]He didn’t even acknowledge that I was there. The first thing I told him was: ‘That was a trick.’ We all know what I’m talking about. He didn’t recognize me. He just sat there sobbing. I was apathetic. He had given everything he had to try to win that game. And looking around, so did every other player on the team.”
“I didn’t fire a coach because of a bad refereeing call. If I can take you to that locker room, it felt like we had hit the proverbial playoff wall year after year,” Pegula added.
The owner also made sure to point out that Allen had “no involvement” in the decision.
“I didn’t talk to Josh about this. I talked to him afterward, but that conversation will remain private,” Pegula said.
Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula watches before the game against the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional Playoff at Highmark Stadium on January 19, 2025 in Orchard Park, New York. (Timothy T. Ludwig/Getty Images)
BILLS HEAD COACH SEAN MCDERMOTT REPRODUCES OFFICIALS FOR CONTROVERSIAL INTERCEPTION CALL: ‘NOT EVEN CLOSE’
Beane was asked about the lack of success at wide receiver, specifically Keon Coleman, but Pegula chimed in and blamed “coaching” on the first pick of the second round in 2024. Ladd McConkey was the next pick.
“The coaching staff pushed to recruit Keon,” Pegula said. “I’m not saying Brandon wouldn’t have drafted him, but he wasn’t his next choice. Brandon was a team player and followed the advice of his coaching staff who felt very strongly about the player. For some reason, he got mad and didn’t say a word about it. But I’m here to tell you the real story.”
The loss marked another crushing blow to McDermott’s tenure as Bills head coach. McDermott accepted the job before the start of the 2017 season, and Buffalo has finished below .500 only once since then. He helped lead the Bills to the playoffs in eight of his nine seasons. The team reached the conference title game twice but never returned to the Super Bowl.
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott speaks at a news conference after an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Rey Del Río)
Many thought the Bills were the team of destiny this year, considering Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson didn’t make the playoffs.
Unfortunately, Jarrett Stidham will face Drake Maye for a trip to the Super Bowl.
