Buffalo Bills fire Sean McDermott
By Jill Martin, CNN
(CNN) — Add the Buffalo Bills as yet another NFL team now in search of a head coach.
The Bills fired Sean McDermott after nine seasons at the helm. The move comes after the Bills lost in overtime to the Denver Broncos in the divisional round on Saturday.
With McDermott’s dismissal, 10 teams will have a new head coach next season. Nine of those changes came from firings, while Mike Tomlin opted to step down as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers last week. The Giants and Falcons have filled their vacancies with John Harbaugh and Kevin Stefanski, respectively.
“Sean has done an admiral [sic] job of leading our football team for the past 9 seasons,” Bills owner Terry Pegula said in a statement. “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.”
McDermott, who was hired by the Bills on January 11, 2017, led Buffalo to the playoffs eight times and won five AFC East division titles.
Still, despite the team’s success with McDermott, the Bills failed to advance to the Super Bowl under his leadership, going 8-8 in the playoffs.
Prior to McDermott’s hire, the Bills hadn’t reached the playoffs since the 1999 season.
“Sean helped change the mindset of this organization and was instrumental in the Bills becoming a perennial playoff team,” Pegula said. “I respect all the work, loyalty and attention to detail he showed for this team and the community.”
The Bills said Monday that Brandon Beane will lead the search for the team’s next head coach.
“Moving forward, Brandon Beane will now serve as the President of Football Operations / General Manager of the Buffalo Bills,” Pegula said. “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.”
This story has been updated with additional reporting.
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