Terry Pegula fired Sean McDermott within minutes of Saturday’s OT playoff collapse in Denver, declaring the Bills had slammed into a “proverbial playoff wall” after eight years of near-misses and heartbreak.
Pegula said the decision crystallized as he walked through a silent locker room at Empower Field. Josh Allen’s strained voice at the post-game podium sealed it.
“I saw the pain in Josh’s face. And I felt his pain,” Pegula told reporters. “I know we can do better. And I know we will get better.”
The owner immediately listed the franchise’s litany of January nightmares under McDermott: the 13-second meltdown in Kansas City, the wind-blasted divisional loss to Cincinnati, last year’s 27-24 overtime heart-stopper versus the Chiefs, and now a 33-30 overtime defeat in Denver where Buffalo squandered a 10-point fourth-quarter lead.
98-50, zero Super Bowls: the math that ended McDermott’s run
- Eight playoff berths in nine seasons
- Six straight wild-card wins — an NFL record without a conference title
- 8-8 postseason record, all eight losses by one score
- 0 Super Bowl appearances
Pegula framed the calculus bluntly: “What is success? Is it being in the playoffs seven years in a row with no Super Bowl?”
Beane stays, adds president title, inherits his first coaching search
General manager Brandon Beane was promoted to president of football operations and will run the hunt for Buffalo’s next coach. Candidates already on the docket:
- Brian Daboll — former Bills OC, ex-Giants HC
- Anthony Lynn — Commanders RB coach, Buffalo’s 2016 interim HC
- Joe Brady — current Bills offensive coordinator
Allen will “have a voice,” Pegula confirmed, but did not sign off on McDermott’s firing.
Roster reckoning: WR room, injuries and ‘maturity issues’
Beane accepted responsibility for a thin defense that fielded nine opening-day starters on injured reserve at one point and a receiver corps that generated barely 50 % of Allen’s passing yards, down from 62 % during his 2024 MVP campaign.
Second-year wideout Keon Coleman regressed to 38-404-4 and was disciplined twice for tardiness. Pegula oddly insisted the coaching staff “pushed” for Coleman at pick 33, a public rare shot across the bow at the departed staff.
Beane countered: “Keon was my pick. His issues have not been on the field. They’ve been maturity things that he owns.”
What’s next: Allen’s foot, cap space and the coaching carousel
Allen is weighing a minor procedure on his right foot but is expected to be full-go for OTAs. Buffalo projects to have $72 million in 2026 cap room and all core draft picks, giving the next coach immediate ammunition.
Pegula, who has remained out of the spotlight while wife Kim recovers from cardiac arrest, pledged full resources: “We will be aggressive. This roster is too good to wait.”
The Bills became the first franchise to win a playoff game in six consecutive seasons without reaching a Super Bowl. Pegula’s message: the standard is no longer 11 wins and a wild-card triumph—it’s Lombardi or bust.
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