In the wake of another disappointing playoff exit, the Bills are making a change on the sidelines. Sean McDermott is out, as first reported by Tom Pelissero, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. 
General manager Brandon Beane will remain in place, Rapoport adds. He will help lead the search for McDermott’s replacement. Buffalo has now become the 10th team in the NFL to make a head coaching change during the 2026 offseason. The rest of the Bills’ staff was being informed of the news when it broke, per The Exhibit’s Josina Anderson.
McDermott arrived in Buffalo in 2017. His tenure has been defined in large part by sustained success in the regular season, with the Bills reaching the playoffs all but once and posting double-digit wins in each of the past seven years. Despite the availability and high level of play produced by quarterback Josh Allen, however, McDermott’s teams have yet to break through in the postseason. The franchise will look to do so with a new voice on the sidelines.
Allen and McDermott have won a total of eight playoff games together. That is the most in NFL history by a HC-QB tandem which has failed to reach a Super Bowl (h/t WFAA’s Ed Werder). A path to ending that streak of shortcomings appeared to exist during this year’s playoffs in particular, with Patrick Mahomes‘ Chiefs, Lamar Jackson‘s Ravens and Joe Burrow‘s Bengals all missing the tournament. Nevertheless, an overtime loss in Denver on Saturday marked another loss in the divisional round for the Bills.
A turnover-filled performance on Allen’s part was a major factor in this year’s Buffalo exit. Overall, though, underwhelming showings on defense were seen on multiple postseason occasions over the years during McDermott’s Buffalo tenure. Given his background as a defensive coordinator, that increasingly became a talking point with respect to McDermott’s job security. A firing in this case adds further to the noteworthy changing of the guard when it comes to multiple AFC teams known for stability.
Today’s McDermott news does not entirely come as a surprise, however. Entering the wild-card round, the Bills and Packers were named as potential John Harbaugh suitors. Green Bay wound up reaching an extension agreement with Matt LaFleur recently, but Buffalo has elected to take the alternative route. Harbaugh has already made his decision, officially taking on the Giants’ HC gig this past weekend. Kevin Stefanski is also off the board, since he is now with the Falcons.
Buffalo now joins the list of destinations for HC candidates. With Allen and a core of players attached to long-term extensions (signed, in many cases, last offseason), the Bills will no doubt be seen as one of the more attractive landing spots for staffers. Once a hire is made, Allen will begin the process of adapting to a new head coach for the first time in his career.
After their run of four straight Super Bowl losses under Marv Levy, sustained success proved difficult to attain for the Bills. Seven different full-time head coaches were in place until McDermott’s hire. His arrival helped spark a run which included five consecutive AFC East titles. Overall, McDermott posted a record of 98-50 in the regular season and 8-8 in the playoffs.
Beane, like McDermott, worked with the Panthers before coming to the Bills nine years ago. His tenure has overlapped with many of the team’s best accomplishments in recent memory, sparked of course by the decision to draft Allen in 2018. Beane has drawn criticism for elements of his roster-building approach, though, and in 2025 in particular his actions (or lack thereof) at the receiver position were a main talking point. Nonetheless, Buffalo has opted for stability in the front office moving forward.
Lengthy HC tenures in Baltimore (Harbaugh) and Pittsburgh (Mike Tomlin) recently came to an end. With McDermott now out as well, the AFC will look far different on the sidelines when the 2026 season kicks off. Meanwhile, McDermott’s next move will become one of the top storylines around the league as the coaching landscape takes shape.
Good, about time. There was always going to be a pretty firm ceiling with this guy.
Be careful what you ask for…Beane is the mastermind of this roster, which is medicre outside JA and Cook. We may just get McDaniel at this point, instead of someone like Kubiak who will want more personnel control, meaning we repeat the firing cycle in another year or two after not making the playoffs. Beane is going to destroy this team.
Oh god, McDaniel. Ew.
Why, because they tried to field a team with all third and fourth receivers? Seems to me like it’s more of a general manager problem.
Titans make that call!!
Lot of teams would be wise to reassess their searches. He’s a good coach.
Titans would be smart to make the phone call immediately….
LoL Allen makes all those turnovers and they blame the coach. The Buffalo curse continues. No MaHomes or Burrow this year. No excuses for Allen
@mlbnyyfan: Allen had a bad game, but he’s literally the reason McDermott wasn’t fired earlier. Same with Beane. Allen being an MVP covers up a lot of what is wrong with the Bills. Shocked that Beane keeps his job. His drafting and especially free agent signings have not been good.
And the turnover just before half was inexcusable. Just zero reason to be running down the middle with zero timeouts. Unless he thiught he was running 70 yards for a td.
How about the OC who designed that play? That’s when you kneel down knowing you get the ball first in the second half.
That goes through the HC. McDermott has to give the green light to run a play there. It still falls on his shoulders.
Yes, Allen had a tough game but hadnt turned the ball over in his previous six playoff games.
They’d probably want him, but if you can’t win with Josh Allen, how do you win with Cam Ward?
Some teams need to crawl before they walk. Also, remember once upon a time they said this about his old boss in Philly.
He’s gonna go to a winner not the Titans. We all do respect.
Steelers?
Steelers need a coach with an offensive mindset.
I don’t know if ‘need’ is a consideration with Pittsburgh. They’ll do whatever they can to avoid a rebuild.
Baltimore’s GM is probably jumping for joy this morning.
Just like Harbaugh, probably needs a change of scenery, and they need to see if someone else can take it the rest of the way before it’s over for Allen.
We fired the wrong guy. Or at least, we should have also fired Beane.
Would have like Stefanski. Waited too long.
They were still playing football
Dude, waited too long? Guess they should have fired him before their playoff game, checks out.
Saw this coming. Buffalo just can’t seem to get over the hump, even with K.C. and Cincy out the playoffs.
Cincinnati hasn’t been in the playoffs for awhile
Referring to the title game years ago when the bills couldn’t beat them.
Wasn’t a title game. It was a divisional round game.
Correct
A divisional game where the team and fans were emotionally exhausted from nearly losing their player, who came back to starting for them. McDermott has been through roller coaster rides with this team.
Kansas City and Cincinnati both MISSED the playoffs. Chiefs were in trouble even before they faced Buffalo in November.
2026 shaping up to be a generational coaching carousel
Minus Tomlin. That dude needs a break
This one really wasn’t his fault though *cough Josh Allen turnovers *cough. If they didn’t give up 3 before half they have a better chance to win.
Allen is one of the only reasons why they’re in the playoffs every year. Bad personnel and McDermott finding a way to lose nearly every close game, both faults that Allen’s greatness regularly overshadows.
McDermott wasn’t the one that fumble and throw interceptions against Denver Saturday. He also didn’t throw the ball away on a 2pt conversion attempt against the eagles. Also what’s up with Allen in overtime? 0-8? WTH!
@YEP: Did Josh Allen give up multiple 3rd and longs in the fourth quarter and OT to the Broncos by playing soft defense? This is a recurring theme with McDermott. When the game is on the line, he backs the defense off into prevents and soft coverage and the other team marches down the field and scores. Been happening for years.
Mock Allen’s TOs all you want but he still put up 30 points on the road against a tough defense. Only problem is that the Bills defense (remember, McDermott is a defensive-oriented coach) gave up 33.
When are Bill fans going to learn that Josh Allen can’t win big games? Look at his college history. 1-1 record in bowls. 0-1 in conference championship games. Always took a lost when playing teams like Nebraska, Iowa, and Oregon. Hell his teams split half their games with MAC teams.
He played at Wyoming, they did not have the talent to be successful against the big boys. I think there’s always 10 other guys on the field with him no matter where he plays.
Tell you what…if you don’t want Josh Allen, this Colts fan will take him in a heartbeat. Allen is far from the problem.
Your HC has to give the green light there. That’s an automatic kneel down there unless the HC says to run a play. He’s gotta be in Allen’s ear telling him to throw it to the sidelines or throw it out of bounds, but to absolutely not scramble.
That has to fall on the HC’s shoulders.
Josh is a veteran qb, the coach doesn’t bear responsibility for him running around the middle of field with the ball not tucked.
So much for standing up for Buffalo though
McDermott was told to take his seat
Power play and the GM (who should be fired) won the battle.
They still want Beane to transition into the new stadium. Likely getting a two-three year leash depending upon what the new coach can do?
McDermott had power in the past…he got rid of some coaches…now it was his turn
I will say, I think he gets another one of these coaching jobs that are open. He has done a good job. Just couldn’t get them over the hump
He 100% just moved to the top of some wish lists
I subscribe to the John Madden theory that this is about the time a coach needs to move on. Like we’ve discussed with the Harbaugh firing and Tomlin resignation, both of them were probably at those places ten years longer than they should have been. I think you probably geta good five or six years before it starts getting stale where you’re at. Nine is definitely stretching it way out. Unless you’re the rare guy like a McVay, and even he contemplated walking away a few years ago before they did their rebuild.
Brian Daboll, next head coach of the Bills … taking over when they move into the new Highmark Stadium.
I like Daboll…as OC. Not head coach material with his temper and in-game mental breakdowns.
You have amnesia. Buffalo fans had turned on him before he left for the Giants, and many wanted him fired if he ddin’t get that job.
Maybe he could come down to Tampa and help Todd Bowles
AYE CARUMBA
Yet another ownership that decides that the GM, in this case Beane, keeps his job in spite of a tainted roster that failed to provide the offensive weapons Allen needed to get that signature win into a championship game….
It was glaring how badly they needed a respectable wide receiver. Their most reliable late game option was Cooks who has been out of his prime for 5 years. Beane failed to address a major area of need.
Meanwhile, Diggs will make his first SB. Its being set up for the Patriots, although I hope Denver and Stidham, prove me wrong.
Chicago Bear’s Ben Johnson should be fired too.
For what reason?…..SMH
He is a Lions fans and he wants him back
Yeah. Hey, every coach who doesn’t make it to the Super Bowl should be fired. Why not?
Beane couldn’t get this team a WR ever.. somehow he gets to keep his job
Exsactly. McDermott lost the power play and the GM (who is to blame for a roster with few stars and no depth) gets to hire his replacement. You’d think Pegula would have learned with the Sabres (who are playing lights out after only a GM change).
Massive mistake on the Browns part. This guy will be out of a job for 5 seconds
Excuse me, I meant to say Bills
They fired the wrong guy. Wow. What a coaching carousel.
I could pretty much guarantee you he will be the new head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. No rhyme no reason. I just have that feeling.
Baltimore…which has a good QB and is closer to home for McDermott (he’s a Philly guy and family-first person).
Tomlin and McDermott were college football teammates and are pretty close, so for that reason I can pretty much guarantee that McDermott wouldn’t put himself into consideration for the Steelers, nor would the Steelers approach him about the job. Would be uncomfortable all around.
I unfortunately have to agree with Madden’s article in today’s Trib. The problem with the Steelers starts with its owner and given his comments over the past couple years, being mediocre is the standard. He’s liable to hire McCarthy and get Rodgers back thanks to their prior work together. Lots of good candidates out there, including McDermott, but I almost expect the worst
Probably gonna be the top name on the market now. I get this move if Buffalo was out in the wild card round and still had Harbaugh or Stefanski out there. Who are you getting now though?
Makes the Bengals advancing to Super Bowl all the more shocking because Bills might have been better for the AFC that year and the Bengals have since proven to be a one year wonder.
Get JA some talent at WR. Not a bunch of team cast offs
Since Baltimore hasnt gotten Minter yet, the Bills should swoop in. Kubiak still has two games to worry about.
It doesn’t matter. Vrabel and McDaniels have started the next dynasty.
New England have yet to face Denver — and “dynasty” is so 1980s.
Changed the perception and culture for Buffalo. Good coach but at times his decision making was baffling to me. It’s not all on him but clearly Buffalo met it’s ceiling with McDermott. Beane should be out as well, he refuses to improve the team at the most crucial positions during the season, and has made some questionable trades/picks when they are in the offseason.
Coach is ok. That GM did zero to help Allen for 8 of the 9 years.
Buffalo has the league’s rushing champion in James Cook. The biggest need for the Bills is defense.
Sean to Miami and Buffalo gets Tomlin.
They went to OT, on the road, against the #1 seed, despite Josh Allen’s TO’s and the reward is a pink slip.
Bad day to have a bad day, Josh.
That championship was set up for the Rams. KC layed down at home in the second half against the Bengals.
For everyone saying Bean should have been out too, he built a team that wins 11 or more games a year. You’re not going out spending big on FA receivers when your QB makes 60 mil a year. They have a lot of good players they’ve drafted, and he’s drafted receivers like Coleman who just haven’t developed well. Do you remember how bad Buffalo was before he got there since the late 90s? McDermott got a lot of grace, from the 13 second game, to the meltdowns every year against KC in critical moments to that no-show against the Bengals. If your QB/HC combo hasn’t won it all by year five, it literally has never happened, so it was time to move on and let somebody else try. He kept his job lonter than he probably should have in light of some of the past failures. Ironically, the one least his fault was yesterday, but that’s how it goes sometimes.
Eagles have an expensive qb and have good talent at wr and won a bowl. Could have drafted better at that position, a lot of good young wr last few years. GM equally responsible.
I think the system plays into this too though. Eagles don’t run that Eherdt-Perkins system that’s been hard to get receivers for other franchises, namely the Patriots and the past when the Steelers ran it. Ironic that New England took off when they got the guy they jettisoned that most Bill fans wanted jettisoned two years ago. Philly’s offense also wouldn’t be where I’d be looking to make my point considering their underachievement.
How sad, there isn’t a better coach available than what they just fired. More years of curses incoming
Beane deserves as much blame as McDermott, but that defense looked too unserious for too much of the year. This is a great job for somebody. Best QB in football, strong three fifths of an offensive line in place, and a few other good pieces. The floor and ceiling are both high when you’re starting with Allen. Have to think Minter and Joseph are happy this one came open. Also wonder if Cignetti and Freeman just got a little less sure they want to stay in college.
imo, Beane deserves even more blame. Bizarrely, the Bills just announced that Beane has been promoted to President of Football Operations. I don’t get it. Bad drafts, worse FA signings.
I remember hearing a beat reporter talk to Robert Mays last offseason about how owners are often more hesitant to fire GMs because firing a coach creates more work for the GM while firing the GM creates much more work for the owner. I think if you’re an owner who has a GM who’s built the team from an afterthought to a consistent contender and you have reasonable questions about the coach, it’s easier to axe the coach. But again, I also think while some of this team’s problems are on roster building (eg get that QB a real number one receiver FFS), they also underperformed in numerous ways, including a defense that was more porous than it should have been.
Most of the defensive issues is just youth though. That happens when you have to pay the QB, the depth on the rest of the team suffers. Back in 2019/2020/2021, that was the very best roster in football, and McDermott didn’t get it done with it.
Did not see this coming. It will be interesting to see if they get over the hump or get worse. I put my money on getting worse.
This is exactly why Harbaugh should have waited with these teams chasing him like the prom queen. He could have jumped right into this opportunity with no ties to Rich Stadium. Instead he jumps into a NY scene that has a GM desperately wanting something to do. Maybe Beane could have worked with him, maybe not. I still felt Harbaugh could have pressed for the GB job as well but they extended the boy-wonder playcaller.
I would have fired Beane over McDermott
The WRs they gave Allen this year were unacceptable. And that falls on Beane
But Buffalo should clean house, top priority should be getting better WRs for Allen
I’d sign Rashid Shaheed
I’d draft Chris Brazzell and Elijah Sarratt mm
I thought he was safe lmao wow what an offseason this will be. Who would even be a good fit for that team spearheaded by Winter Soldier Joshua Allen. Mike McCarthy? Kingsbury? Minter?
After his postgame tantrums seemed more and more like a deflection without reflection, and after many disappointing postseasons given all their talent, it’s not all that shocking, but sticking with Beane at the same time is …a choice.
I believe this is a bad judgement fire call by Buffalo management. Buffalo is today looking for a scape goat, so were blaming McDermott for Saturday’s game, Buffalo is changing the picture of how this game was played, don’t look at the Allen picture of the game, but let’s look at the HC picture of the game. What did McDermott do during the game to get him fired, did he throw the interception, did he fumble the ball, did he turn the ball over four times, answer is NO. But again, Buffalo management does not want to put the blame on their franchise QB who even admitted that he played poorly. Now Buffalo is looking for a new HC the question is, is there a better HC out there that is available and is better than the one Buffalo made as a scape goat. Will the next HC be able to get the Buffalo 53-man roster to all pull from the same side of the rope to make a SB run as McDermott has 8 of the last 9 years. Sometimes you just have to be happy with making the playoffs 8 of the last 9 years as a solid action of getting 53 individuals to pull toward a goal which McDermott had done. This was just a bad firing by a organization looking to blame someone for four turnover and bad play by a QB on Saturday.
Totality of the situation. No coach/QB duo has ever gotten it done if it hasn’t already happened by now in their timeline.
I wonder if McCarthy maybe to Buffalo? He worked well with Rodgers and Dak. So it seems if the offense/QB is in place and team is ready to win might not be a bad spot for him.