The Buffalo Bills have fired Sean McDermott after the team yet again fell short in the NFL playoffs.

The Bills lost a dramatic divisional round game in overtime to the Denver Broncos on Saturday. Buffalo have reached the playoffs in all but one of the seasons since McDermott took over in 2017, when he helped the Bills reach the postseason for the first time in 17 years. However, they have failed to reach the Super Bowl in that time despite the presence of Josh Allen, one of the best quarterbacks of his generation. Under McDermott, the Bills became the first team to win a playoff game in six straight seasons and not claim a Super Bowl.

“Sean helped change the mindset of this organization and was instrumental in the Bills becoming a perennial playoff team,” Bills owner Terry Pegula said in a statement on Monday. “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.”

As part of the new structure, Pegula announced he is promoting general manager Brandon Beane to president of football operations. Beane, who also is completing his ninth season in Buffalo, will oversee the coaching search.

“Brandon will oversee all facets of our football operation,” Pegula said. “I have full faith in and have witnessed Brandon’s outstanding leadership style and have confidence in his abilities to lead our organization.”

McDermott compiled a 98-50 record in his nine seasons in Buffalo, transforming a team who had languished at the bottom of the AFC East for long periods. But he owned an 8-8 record in the playoffs, and the team have decided they need a fresh approach. The Bills will hope his successor can push Allen and his teammates over the edge and into a Super Bowl.

McDermott is one of a number of high-profile coaches recently to end their tenure after struggling in the playoffs. The Ravens fired John Harbaugh, who failed to make the Super Bowl during his time with Lamar Jackson, a quarterback on the same level as Allen. Meanwhile, Mike Tomlin stepped down as Steelers head coach after a streak of postseason losses.

McDermott may not be out of a job for long. The Dolphins, Titans, Ravens, Steelers, Raiders, Cardinals and Raiders all have head coaching vacancies.

The Bills became a model of stability under McDermott and Beane, who arrived in May 2017. And now they undergo their first coaching search since McDermott took over for Rex Ryan, who was fired after two seasons in Buffalo.

McDermott was hired after spending six seasons as the Carolina Panthers’ defensive coordinator. Before that, he broke into the NFL in 1999 as a member of Andy Reid’s first staff in Philadelphia. McDermott worked his way up the ranks to become the Eagles’ defensive coordinator before being fired in 2010.

With Allen turning 30 in May, the Bills are expected to target an offensive-minded coach to spur an offense in which the quarterback was too often asked to carry the load. The NFL’s 2024 MVP’s production dropped this season. He finished with 3,668 yards and 25 touchdowns passing, his lowest output since his second season in 2019.

The defense struggled in part this season because of a transition to youth and a rash of injuries. Though Buffalo’s defense finished ranked seventh in the NFL in 2025, the unit had difficulty stopping the run. It’s in the playoffs where the defense was criticized for collapsing too often. Buffalo allowed 30 or more points in four of their playoff losses under McDermott.