Bills Won’t Fire Sean McDermott? Why Decide Now?

What the Buffalo Bills have done – without making a formal announcement – is subtly issued a “vote of confidence” for coach Sean McDermott. That support has come in the form of good reporting from The Athletic, which cites multiple sources insisting that there is “zero” chance that the Bills fire McDermott this season. But there are three takeaways here that deserve exploration. …

1 – ‘Sources” and “leaks” aren’t the same as Bills owner Terry Pegula actually voicing his support for the coach of this disappointing bunch, which at 6-6 have already doubled the loss total from last year. We will know for certain that McDermott is the coach in 2024 when Pegula says so. On the record. 2 – We would suggest that there is a lot of football to be played in 2023 – hopefully not the erratic football we’ve seen so far in Buffalo this year – before any commitment is made.

So as “fan confidence in Sean McDermott never has been lower,” as The Athletic asserts … What if the Bills cannot stop skidding? Or – maybe just as viable – what if the Bills go the Super Bowl? Why make a final determination until all the evidence is collected? 3 – A smart team, a smart “source” and a smart reporter always allows for some wiggle room. And so when The Athletic is careful to tuck into its story somewhere, “Barring catastrophe, those close to Pegula insist McDermott will remain a driving force in molding the Bills’ future”? It is in the Paragraph No. 42 of a 42-paragraph story. So it’s down there. But it’s in there. And it’s “CYA.” And it’s smart.

McDermott’s team has not been very clutch; all six of the losses have come by one score. The firing of offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey hasn’t been a panacea. The defense – McDermott’s forte – hasn’t been dominant. Toss onto the pile sidebar issues like the all-too-frequent questions of the happiness of Stefon Diggs and the arrest of Von Miller and the Bills’ present circumstance is not a pleasant one.

Is all of it McDermott’s fault? Of course not. But does the fact that the Bills just announced an extension for the coach that keeps him under contract through the 2027 season mean he can’t be ousted? That’s also an “of course not.” There is a time and a place to decide on McDermott’s future in Buffalo. And with all due respect to “sources” close to ownership, that time and that place is not now.