BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Buffalo Bills have fired head coach Sean McDermott following the team's loss to the Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs on Saturday.
General manager Brandon Beane will be retained and will lead the search for a new head coach.
McDermott joined the Bills in 2017 and led the team to its first playoff berth in 17 years. In his nine years with the Bills, McDermott finished with a record of 98-50 in the regular season.
The Bills made the playoffs in all but one season under McDermott. He finished with an 8-8 record in the playoffs, and never advanced to the Super Bowl. They lost in the Wild Card round twice, the Divisional round four times and the AFC Championship game twice.
The team released a statement from owner Terry Pegula on social media, which said in part, "Sean has done an admirable job of leading our football team for the past 9 seasons. 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."
WATCH: Instant reaction from 7 Sports on the firing of McDermott, the retaining of Beane, and who they could hire
According to Pegula, moving forward, Beane will serve as President of Football Operations/General Manager and will oversee all facets of the football operation, including the oversight of the coaching staff. Pegula also said Beane will work directly with him and Pete Guelli who will now serve as President of Business Operations.
You can read the full statement below:
"Sean has done an admirable job of leading our football team for the past 9 seasons. 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. I wish Sean, Jamie and his family all the best."
Moving forward, Brandon Beane will now serve as the President of Football Operations / General Manager of the Buffalo Bills. Brandon will oversee all facets of our football operation, including the oversight of our coaching staff. I have full faith in and have witnessed Brandon's outstanding leadership style and have confidence in his abilities to lead our organization."
Beane will be leading the search for a new head coach and will be working directly with Pegula and Pete Guelli, who will now serve as President of Business Operations, during the interview and hiring process."
McDermott's 98 regular season wins are second in team history, behind only Marv Levy who won 112 regular season games. Although McDermott's .662 win percentage in the regular season is the best in team history, followed by Levy with a .615 win percentage.
Tom Pelissero from the NFL Network posted a statement from McDermott on social media Monday evening.
"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.
God Bless,
Sean McDermott"
“We Love You! We will miss Buffalo. Bills Mafia, you are one of one!”
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 19, 2026
A classy statement from Sean McDermott following his surprising exit from Buffalo: pic.twitter.com/teRqQpmDE1
He was very outspoken after the team's loss to the Broncos on Saturday when discussing the controversial interception call in overtime that ultimately changed the game.
"It's hard for me to understand why it was ruled the way it was ruled," McDermott said. "Why wasn't it slowed down just to make sure that we have this right? That would've made a lot of sense to me, to make sure we have this thing right, because that's a pivotal play. But I'm saying because I'm standing up for Buffalo, I'm standing up for us, dammit."
WATCH: Sean McDermott fired up after controversial call that ends Buffalo Bills' season in Denver
As the Bills search for a new head coach, here's who the 7 Sports team thinks could fit in Orchard Park. You can watch the conservation below.
