Sean McDermott has been fired as head coach of the Buffalo Bills.
The news came Monday following Saturday’s overtime loss to the Denver Broncos in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport was the first to report McDermott’s firing.
‘There is angst in the building, it is our understand it had been brewing,’ Ian Rapoport said on NFL Network after the news broke.
ESPN has since reported that general manager Brandon Beane is being retained.
McDermott put together an impressive nine-year run in Buffalo, going 98-50, while reaching the playoffs in all but one season. However, he failed to get the Bills back to the Super Bowl and now the team is looking for the 20th head coach in team history.
The postseason defeats have been excruciating. Saturday’s 33-30 loss in Denver marked the sixth time McDermott’s Bills were beaten in the fourth quarter or overtime of a playoff game.
Sean McDermott has been fired as head coach of the Buffalo Bills after nine seasons
Denver safety Ja’Quan McMillian and Bills receiver Brandin Cooks fought for a pass
Some fans believe that Cooks had full possession of the ball and that it should be ruled a catch
And to compound the misery for fans known as the Bills Mafia, Saturday’s painful loss came with a heavy dose of controversy. With the game tied at 30-30 and just under eight minutes left to play in overtime, Bills quarterback Josh Allen launched a deep pass intended for wide receiver Brandin Cooks on 3rd-and-11.
The Buffalo wideout appeared to come down with the ball deep in Broncos territory, but as he and Denver safety Ja’Quan McMillan tumbled along the turf, it was the defender who came away with it. Ultimately officials ruled Cooks didn’t maintain control of the pass as he hit the ground so the ball was still live when McMillian snatched it away.
McDermott was left furious over the call following his team’s devastating exit as he questioned the referee’s officiating.
‘It’s hard for me to – and I’ve had a chance to look at it – it’s hard for me to understand why it was ruled the way it was ruled,’ McDermott said following the game in what proved to be his final press conference as Bills head coach.
‘If it is ruled that way, then why wasn’t it slowed down just to make sure that we have this right. That would have made a lot of sense to me, to make sure that we have this thing right, because that’s a pivotal play in the game. We have the ball at the 20 and we may be kicking a game-winning field goal right there, so I’ll just leave it at that.’
And if the call had gone the other way, McDermott would likely still have a job.
It’s not clear what the next move is for McDermott, who previously served as a defensive coordinator in Philadelphia and Carolina.
The Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers and Las Vegas Raiders are among the teams that either are or could be looking to hire a defensive coordinator.
Then there is the possibility that McDermott gets another offer to be a head coach. The Steelers, Miami Dolphins, Raiders, Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals and Baltimore Ravens are all looking to hire head coaches after disappointing seasons, while the Atlanta Falcons (Kevin Stefanski) and New York Giants (John Harbaugh) vacancies have been filled.
