The Buffalo Bills have fired head coach Sean McDermott. McDermott is the third long-tenured NFL head coach fired in the last two weeks since the 2025 NFL season ended, joining John Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin.

The Bills have not been to a Super Bowl under McDermott despite having an MVP quarterback and a solid roster for years. Multiple reports have general manager Brandon Beane staying on to lead the next head coach search.

Buffalo lost 33-30 in overtime on Saturday to the Denver Broncos. That’s six straight years with a playoff victory. No team has ever won a playoff game in six straight years and not won a Super Bowl.

Players reached by reporters on Monday were stunned by the news.

“From recent conversations with people in the Bills’ organization, the sense I get is that it felt that there were opportunities to win Saturday in Denver, officiating or otherwise,” said Dianna Russini of The Athletic. “Leadership felt a change was necessary after coming up short of the Super Bowl yet again.“

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McDermott is the second-winningest head coach in team history behind only Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy. He has 98 head coach wins and 50 losses in the regular season. In the playoffs, he is 8-8. But beyond that, McDermott turned around a franchise that was moored in despair, taking them to the playoffs in his very first season in 2017 and establishing a culture that was evident in the locker room.

It was believed McDermott was safe heading into this playoff run and may have done one of the best coaching jobs of his career, ushering a defense through turnover and injuries into a solid unit while maintaining the success of the offense. Buffalo had a chance to win multiple times on Saturday, including a Josh Allen pass at the end of regulation and a Brandin Cooks catch in overtime that would have set up the game-winning field goal. Now instead of prepping for the AFC Championship Game, he’s prepping to take some coaching interviews.

McDermott released a statement:

For nearly a decade I have had the opportunity to wake up every morning as the Head Coach of the Buffalo Bills, which has truly been a gift.

I want to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to the Pegula family, the Buffalo Bills organization, and to the fans for allowing me to live out the dream of being a Head Coach in the NFL in this incredibly special place.

I am proud and humbled to have worked alongside amazing staff and players as we shared life together and poured out our hearts and souls into both winning football games and making a positive impact in our community.

This community graciously embraced not only me but my family and in some ways helped raise our children over the last 9 years. For that I say thank you to all of the teachers, coaches, and friends whom we met along the way…the City of Good Neighbors! We Love You! We will miss Buffalo.

Bills Mafia, you are one of one! It has been a joy and inspiration to witness your passion and commitment first hand. I always wanted our teams to play with the same level of toughness and grit that is true to Buffalo and that you demonstrate every day!

God gave me and my family an incredible opportunity, one that we will cherish for the rest of our lives. Yet we know that HE has a plan.

Thank you for allowing me to serve as your head coach.