Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula ended Sean McDermott's tenure, citing repeated playoff disappointments and a desire for a new team direction after another heartbreaking loss.
Terry Pegula felt the Buffalo Bills had gone as far as they could go with Sean McDermott as head coach.
During the end of season press conference on Wednesday, the Bills owner told the media that he made the decision to fire McDermott after nine seasons. He said that he felt the team had "hit the proverbial playoff wall" after another heartbreaking playoff loss.
He cited other losses like Tyler Bass' missed field goal, the 13-seconds loss in Kansas City, and "The Catch" game last weekend against the Denver Broncos.
Pegula said that he made the decision it was time for a change of direction after going into the locker room following the Broncos game. He said that it hurt seeing the players, including in franchise quarterback, so distraught, about the way another season ended.
“He sat there sobbing," Pegula said of Allen while mentioning that Allen basically ignored him as he attempted to console him. "He was listless. I saw the pain in Josh’s face at his presser, and I felt his pain.
"I know we can do better."
What Did Josh Allen Know About McDermott's Firing?
As far as Allen's feelings on the firing of McDermott, Pegula said he wanted to keep his quarterback's feelings private. It was also confirmed that Allen had no say in the decision, nor did he know about it until after the move was made.
To that point, general manager and now president of football operations Brandon Beane said that the players found out of the move through the media. The team had their season-end team meeting on Sunday, and that the players had already left by the time the move was made on Monday morning.
Regarding rumors of a deteriorating relationship being a catalyst for the move, Beane said he didn't think "it got to point where we were signing or drafting players out of alignment."
Circling back on the timing of the decision, Pegula said multiple times that it came as a result of the Broncos game. Despite him believing that Brandin Cooks caught the ball, he grew tired of seeing seasons come to the same conclusion.
He also said that he wouldn't speculate on if McDermott would've remained head coach had they gotten to and lost in either the AFC Championship or the Super Bowl.
The Bills are now starting the process of looking for their next head coach. So far, at least five names have been publicly linked to the search, with Beane calling it a fully open process.
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