When Sean McDermott was brought to Buffalo to become the next head coach for the Bills in 2017, it started the change that the organization needed in order to become who they are today. Coming from the Carolina Panthers as their defensive coordinator, McDermott was tasked to come in and clean up the mess that the Rex Ryan-era created.
McDermott didn't just clean up that mess, him and Brandon Beane turned the Bills into a playoff team their first year in 2017. Sure, they were the last seed in the AFC and they only made it because the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Baltimore Ravens in Week 17, but nonetheless, Buffalo still broke their 17-season playoff drought.
The only time the Bills missed the playoffs under McDermott was in 2018, when the team started a true rebuild that was focused on rookie Josh Allen. After that, the Bills have been consistently in the playoffs led by McDermott. He helped Buffalo win five consecutive AFC East titles.
Sean McDermott accomplished a lot during Bills tenure (but not enough)
Even though McDermott finished his Bills tenure with a 98-50 record (.662), per Pro Football Reference, one thing that McDermott was never able to do was elevate the Bills in the postseason no matter what round they got to.
McDermott went 8-8 in the playoffs with the Bills, which included losing to the Kansas City Chiefs four times. The other losses came from the Houston Texans, Cincinnati Bengals, and Denver Broncos. Last season, the Bills entered the postseason as the 6-seed (losing the AFC East back to the New England Patriots), and they were guarenteed to not have to face the Ravens, Chiefs, and Bengals since none of them were in the playoffs.
Buffalo ended up losing a heartbreaker in the Divisional Round to the Denver Broncos, and then two days later, McDermott was fired by Terry Pegula. Despite there being a chance that McDermott would get a head coaching job immediately, he opted to take the year off.
Despite McDermott being in the middle of the major changes involving the Bills, he is still showing his support for the Bills going into the 2026 season.
Bills still get Sean McDermott's support ahead of 2026
McDermott talked on the Rich Eisen Show (per NFL on ESPN) and he is saying that the Bills will be in the Super Bowl this season, and also talked about the impact that the Bills had on his family while they were in Buffalo.
"Now with what they've done, the moves that Brandon Beane has made, the activity that they have had on the roster just over the X amount of months, I think have been very important. I think if you're betting on a Super Bowl contender, they certainly are one of them. I don't see why you wouldn't bet on them." said McDermott.
"It'll be Bills/Rams, that would be a great Super Bowl...people ask me all the time 'hey, do you still root for your old team?' and I said why wouldn't I? Of course I do. The impact that you want to have as a head coach on a team and in a community, that's one thing. But the impact that team, that building, that community had on me and my family, we'll remember that for the rest of our lives." McDermott added.
Sean McDermott predicts the Bills will play in the Super Bowl and shares the impact the organization had on his family 💙
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 4, 2026
(via @RichEisenShow) pic.twitter.com/Ajqt9qn9b3
It’s been nearly eight months since McDermott was let go by the Bills, and yet he is still saying great things about the team and community of Buffalo. McDermott left his impact, as he brought back stability to the franchise. He managed to take a bad situation and turn into a great one. However, he just kept coming up short, which is ultimately the reason why the Bills made the decision that they did.
Add us as a preferred source on Google