Sean McDermott firing: Meeting in which coach called out team's roster deficiencies may have led to dismissal
After nine excellent regular-season performances - and eight playoff appearances - Sean McDermott was fired by the Buffalo Bills. Given the team's excellence under McDermott, the move came as a major surprise, especially considering some of the big-name coaches the team could have wooed were already off the market.
What, exactly, led to the split? In a statement Monday, team owner Terry Pegula simply said the Bills needed "a new structure within our leadership" to push the team to the next level. But there may have been at least one other factor at play that resulted in McDermott's firing.
Prior to the postseason, McDermott reportedly had a meeting with then-general manager Brandon Beane and Pegula, per long-time reporter Vic Carucci.
At that meeting, the coach reportedly pointed out the team's roster deficiencies. Beane and Pegula were reportedly not pleased with McDermott's analysis, per Carucci.
"I'm told that during a meeting held five weeks ago between McDermott, Beane and Pegula, the coach pointed out what the roster lacked to win a Super Bowl. I don't know the specifics McDermott mentioned, but I'm told neither Beane nor Pegula was pleased with McDermott's assessment."
Notably, Carucci said he did not know what specifics McDermott mentioned during that meeting.
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While the Bills turned in an excellent season in 2025, going 12-5 and earning yet another playoff berth, the roster lacked strong players in some key spots. On offense, the Bills' wide receivers once again lacked a superstar. Quarterback Josh Allen made the best of the situation, but was ultimately relying on Brandin Cooks and Mecole Hardman in crucial situations.
Defensively, the team allowed 136.2 rushing yards per game, one of the worst figures in the league. Buffalo did rank first in passing yards allowed, but that was more a symptom of teams deciding to forgo the pass to pick on the team's poor rushing defense, as none of the Bills' secondary graded out well per PFF's metrics.
Those particular deficiencies, it could be argued, should be attributed to Beane, who failed to bring in impact players during the offseason. Beane has faced criticism for multiple years over his inability to give Allen a superstar target. He tried to address that in previous drafts, taking Keon Coleman and Dalton Kincaid with high draft picks, but neither have turned in star production.
Despite that, Beane did not address the team's offense until the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, when he selected tight end Jackson Hawes. The five defensive players Beane selected earlier in the draft failed to make major impacts as rookies. To make matters worse, the Bills selected cornerback Maxwell Hairston with the No. 30 overall pick in the draft. Nine picks later, the Chicago Bears selected wideout Luther Burden, who showed explosive potential as a playmaker at times during his rookie season.
Pegula apparently didn't see things in that light. He not only retained Beane, but promoted him to president of football operations. Beane's first task: finding the team's next head coach.
Replacing McDermott won't come easy. Though the Bills failed to make it to the Super Bowl with the coach, it came close multiple times. While Allen's presence certainly plays a major role in that, the quarterback needs more help around him to make that final push.
McDermott may have felt the same way and expressed that much when meeting with Beane and Pegula. It may have cost the coach his job.