In 9 seasons underneath Sean McDermott, the Buffalo Payments made eight playoff appearances and superior to the AFC Championship Recreation two occasions.
However a visit to the Tremendous Bowl eluded the Payments, and now will probably be as much as one other head coach to get them again there.
Buffalo fired McDermott on Monday, two days after the Payments had been eradicated with a 33-30 extra time loss to the Denver Broncos within the Divisional Spherical of the playoffs.
“Sean has done an [admirable] job of leading our football team for the past nine seasons,” Payments proprietor Terry Pegula mentioned in an announcement. “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.”
Buffalo retained basic supervisor Brandon Beane, who will lead the seek for McDermott’s alternative. Along with remaining the GM, Beane was promoted Monday to Buffalo’s president of soccer operations.
McDermott, 51, went 98-50 and gained 5 AFC East titles throughout his time with the Payments from 2017-25. However Buffalo went 8-8 within the postseason, repeatedly developing brief regardless of the presence of celebrity quarterback Josh Allen, the reigning NFL MVP.
4 of these playoff losses got here towards Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs, who missed the postseason this 12 months.
In Saturday’s season-ending loss, the Payments dedicated 5 turnovers, together with 4 by Allen.
The sport led to controversy after Broncos defensive again Ja’Quan McMillian ripped the ball away from extensive receiver Brandin Cooks because the latter hit the bottom — a play that was dominated an interception moderately than a catch by Cooks.
Throughout an impassioned postgame handle, McDermott bemoaned how shortly the evaluation course of for that decisive turnover performed out.
“I’m standing up for Buffalo, damn it,” McDermott mentioned. “I’m standing up for us, because what went on is not how it should go down.”
Though the Payments (12-5) had been a wild-card group and the AFC’s No. 6 seed — and featured roster deficiencies at extensive receiver and on protection — many thought of Saturday’s loss to be a squandered alternative for Buffalo. That’s as a result of the absences of prime quarterbacks Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow made this a wide-open playoff area.
The Payments are one among 12 groups to by no means win a Tremendous Bowl. They haven’t made it to a Tremendous Bowl since 1994, which marked the final of 4 consecutive appearances that each one led to losses.
Buffalo turns into the tenth group to have a head-coaching emptiness this offseason, although two of the others — the Giants and Atlanta Falcons — have already crammed theirs.
The Giants are set to formally introduce John Harbaugh as their head coach at a press convention Tuesday, whereas the Falcons employed Kevin Stefanski, a two-time NFL Coach of the Yr.
The Payments instantly turn into one of the vital fascinating touchdown spots in a market through which the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans, Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals even have head coach openings.
Brian Daboll, whom the Giants fired as head coach in November after almost 4 seasons, is among the many out there candidates. He was Buffalo’s offensive coordinator from 2018-21 and helped Allen develop over his first 4 seasons.
Different out there coaches embody Mike McDaniel, Mike McCarthy and Jesse Minter. Mike Tomlin, who stepped down because the Steelers’ head coach final week, could be essentially the most achieved candidate however is extensively anticipated to pursue a TV job.
