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ESPN insiders weigh in on whether Bills HC Sean McDermott is on the hot seat

Two ESPN insiders shared their insight on whether they believe Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott could be on the hot seat.

Kyle Silagyi

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Rarely are there rumblings of a coaching change after an NFL team gets off to a division-leading 3-2 start, but circumstances are a bit different in Orchard Park at this juncture.

Though by no means the prevailing sentiment, there’s a vocal contingent of Buffalo Bills fans who feel as though the team needs to move on from head coach Sean McDermott, his clock management gaffes in Buffalo’s dreadful Week 5 loss to the Houston Texans only solidifying their opinions. McDermott has been an objective success as the Bills’ head coach, posting a franchise-best .639% winning percentage to this point as he’s led the team to the postseason in six of his seven seasons in charge; that said, the team has yet to qualify for the Super Bowl under his watch and has appeared in only one AFC Championship, this despite boasting immensely talented rosters along the way.

A small portion of the fanbase has been calling for McDermott’s dismissal for the past several years, but it’s never seemed like something the organization was remotely interested in doing. This remains the case after the team’s ugly Week 5 loss despite the way in which the sideline boss handled the end of the game; in their recent “NFL Week 6 latest buzz” article, ESPN reporters Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano wrote about McDermott’s security, noting that, while a change does not seem imminent, parties on both sides of the impending coaching carousel are watching One Bills Drive with interest.

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“I got multiple texts from people involved in the hiring cycle asking whether McDermott would be on the hot seat,” Fowler wrote. “I replied that I hadn't sensed that, but Sunday's ending -- a 23-20 loss after the Bills led 17-3 at halftime -- was simply not good.” (editor’s note – the Bills were down, not up, 17-3 at halftime)

Graziano added that he, too, had received texts regarding Buffalo’s coaching situation, writing that the Bills’ head coaching vacancy would be one of the most heavily pursued jobs should it become available.

“The Buffalo job is definitely the early leader for ‘Job that potential head coach candidates and their agents hope comes open,’” Graziano wrote. “I'll say what I've said whenever this has come up over the past couple of years. I have heard many on the outside speculate McDermott could be in trouble if the Bills keep failing to reach the Super Bowl, but I have never once heard from inside the Bills' organization that moving on from him has ever been a consideration. 

“Could that change? Heck yeah it could, and if it does, prospective coaches will be lining up for a chance to work with Josh Allen and work for ultra-rich, patient ownership. As of now, though, I don't think McDermott is in any immediate danger."

Sean McDermott
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It makes sense that Buffalo would immediately be the job of choice for prospective head coaches, as rarely does the opportunity to coach one of the best quarterbacks in football become available. Ownership is also stable, and as Graziano notes, candidates would likely be “lining up” for the opportunity to join an organization that is, to some, just a new voice away from getting over the hump.

That said, it doesn’t seem as though McDermott will be shown the exit door anytime soon. Graziano writes that he’s never gotten the impression that the sidelines boss was on shaky ground even after heartbreaking playoff losses; a Week 5 loss in a season in which the team is still 3-2 certainly won’t be McDermott's death knell. Graziano also mentions the “patient ownership,” and while this is true of Terry Pegula as an NFL owner, the same can’t necessarily be said for his stint as owner of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres; he’s shuffled through general manager and head coaches with swift frequency, thus far not hitting a home run in either post throughout his decade-plus in charge. McDermott is his lone coaching hire as an NFL or NHL owner that has been a success, and one could envision him being a bit cautious with regard to moving on.

As we’ve seen time and time again in the NFL, much can change with a quickness. Circumstances are ever-changing and evolving, and it’s certainly possible that the Bills could make a coaching change should the season get away from them; that said, ESPN noting that McDermott would be an attractive head coaching candidate and that Buffalo would be a hot job is perhaps indication that a change is not a necessity.  

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Kyle Silagyi
KYLE SILAGYI

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