Ex-Bills Coach Sean McDermott Breaks Silence on Abrupt Firing

Former Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott, fresh off an abrupt exit from the team after a bitter playoff loss, is trying to keep his eyes trained forward.

The former Bills coach spoke for the first time since he was fired in January, when owner Terry Pegula decided the team needed to take a new direction after six years of heartbreaking playoff losses as the team fell just short of the Super Bowl.

Speaking to The Athletic, McDermott revealed that he is not resentful about the decision and is getting prepared for the next opportunity.

Sean McDermott Staying Ready

The report noted that McDermott and his family moved to Charlotte, N.C., not long after his firing. He has spent his time preparing for a new coaching job, digging into his work with “study and research projects” related to coaching.

In between, McDermott is picking his kids up from school and watching his daughter, a Notre Dame recruit, in her final softball season.

The former Bills head coach said he’s not dwelling on his exit from Buffalo, only focusing on improving for his next job.

“When you stop asking questions, that’s when you get yourself into trouble,” McDermott said. “People who are leaders, who think they have all the answers and aren’t asking questions, are the ones, I feel like, that run into trouble sooner or later, just in terms of not being the best versions of themselves. … So, I’m passionate about that; passionate about growing and evolving, and I think the NFL is so competitive, and you’ve got to be continually asking yourself, ‘What, why, how?’ If you want to continue to be successful, it’s in the margins.”

McDermott added that he was grateful for his time in Buffalo and the close relationship he had with the top brass.

“I think a lot of people want the type of relationship we had for a better part of nine years, myself, (general manager) Brandon (Beane), Terry, and I’m extremely grateful to both of them; to Terry for the opportunity he gave me, and then working together with Brandon, and I think that organization is in a great spot. … The piece that we control what we can control, that’s really where my focus is.”

Sean McDermott Hints at Next Step

Because McDermott was fired so late in the spin of the NFL coaching carousel, he didn’t have much of a chance to consider other job openings that had mostly been filled by the time the Bills lost in the playoffs. But he is open to another opportunity, buoyed by the success he found across nearly a decade in Buffalo.

“You know,” McDermott opined, “sometimes when one door closes, another one opens, also, right? … How many head coaches are able to do it for nine years and really take something, get it turned around, build a culture, break a 17-year playoff drought in the first season, and then go to the playoffs eight out of nine years? I mean, we — and I say we because it wasn’t just me; collectively, we as a team — accomplished a lot. So when you kind of take a step back and go, ‘Hang on here,’ I think perspective is healthy and important, right and powerful, and just be like, ‘Hey, I can’t control the decision.’ ”

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