Why did Bills fire Sean McDermott? 'New structure' needed, owner says

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The Buffalo Bills have fired long-time coach Sean McDermott just two days after their team's divisional-round playoff loss to the Denver Broncos.

McDermott was Buffalo's coach for the last nine seasons and was one of the franchise's most successful. The 51-year-old led the Bills to a 98-50 record across his time in Buffalo and notched double-digit wins in each of his last seven campaigns with the team.

McDermott will finish his Buffalo tenure as the second-winningest coach in franchise history behind only Marv Levy (112).

So, why are the Bills moving on from McDermott after a successful tenure? Here's what to know about Buffalo's decision.

Why did the Bills fire Sean McDermott?

The Bills shed light on their decision to fire McDermott via a statement from team owner Terry Pegula the morning of Jan. 19.

"Sean has done an [admirable] job of leading our football team for the past nine seasons," the statement read. "But I feel we are in need of a new structure within our leadership to give this organization the best opportunity to take our team to the next level. We owe that to our players and to Bills Mafia."

"Sean helped change the mindset of this organization and was instrumental in the Bills becoming a perennial playoff team. I respect all the work, loyalty and attention to detail he showed for this team and the community."

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While McDermott made Buffalo a perennial playoff contender – as Pegula noted – and led the team to eight postseason appearances across his nine seasons with the team, the Bills only posted an 8-8 playoff record under his watch. They never made it past the AFC championship game despite grandiose expectations as Josh Allen developed into one of the NFL's top quarterbacks.

The Bills were granted a particularly strong opportunity to mount a Super Bowl run during the 2025 NFL playoffs. The Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs – a perennial postseason bugaboo of Buffalo – all missed the playoffs, meaning Buffalo wouldn't have to face Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow or Patrick Mahomes in its quest to make it to the Super Bowl.

However, the team failed to take advantage of the opportunity. The Bills ended up being a wild-card team and while they were able to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars on the road in the wild-card round, they couldn't win against the Broncos at Mile High Stadium.

The 2025 edition of Buffalo's team was flawed, so the Bills' exit wasn't a major surprise – even despite some prognostications they could make it to the Super Bowl in the weakened AFC.

Nonetheless, Buffalo's shortcomings proved to be another strike against McDermott's postseason record. That ultimately helped convince the Bills they needed a leadership change to get to the "next level" Pegula mentioned in his statement.

Sean McDermott coaching record

McDermott posted a 98-50 record and an 8-8 playoff record across his nine seasons as Buffalo's head coach. Below is a year-by-year look at his team's results:

2017: 9-7; lost in wild-card round
2018: 6-10; missed playoffs
2019: 10-6; lost in wild-card round
2020: 13-3; lost in AFC championship game
2021: 11-6; lost in divisional round
2022: 13-3; lost in divisional round
2023: 11-6; lost in divisional round
2024: 13-4; lost in AFC championship game
2025: 12-5; lost in divisional round