The Buffalo Bills have officially moved on from head coach Sean McDermott after nine seasons. The news sent shockwaves throughout the NFL on Monday morning as Buffalo's leadership finally decided to go in a new direction.
With an impressive winning percentage and multiple playoff victories under his belt, it's hard to argue with the strength of McDermott's resume. But in the end, his struggles to get this team over the hump were his downfall.
NFL insider Dianna Russini revealed exactly why the Bills were ready to move on from their head coach after giving him nearly a decade at the helm.
Dianna Russini details why Bills fired Sean McDermott
Coming close to Super Bowl glory isn't enough. That's the message the Bills sent to the city of Buffalo with this firing. According to Russini, team leadership felt that McDermott wasted one of his best opportunities to reach the title game this season.
Russini said, "From recent conversations with people in the Bills’ organization, the sense I get is that it felt that there were opportunities to win Saturday in Denver, officiating or otherwise. Leadership felt a change was necessary after coming up short of the Super Bowl yet again."
The Bills' loss to the Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round of the playoffs was heartbreaking for fans and players alike. It truly came down to a few questionable calls from the referees that could have gone either way. But as Russini made clear, the team's leadership felt that the game could have been won regardless of the unfortunate calls.
If this were the first time that McDermott had fallen short of expectations, it would likely be overlooked. But he has failed to deliver on multiple occasions. Agonizingly close playoff losses wear on an organization, and it seems like this loss was the final straw.
This season may have presented the Bills with their best chance to advance to a Super Bowl in years. With big names like Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson stuck on the outside of the playoffs looking in, Josh Allen and the Bills had a clear path to work through the AFC on their way to their first-ever title. But once again, they fell short.
Considering the apparent lack of ability to win when it matters most over the last decade, it's hard to argue with the team's decision to move on from McDermott. Now, they'll see if a new coach provides the missing piece.