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By Cole Sullivan
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The Buffalo Bills suffered a gut-wrenching 33–30 overtime loss to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Divisional Round, officially eliminating them from the NFL postseason for the seventh consecutive season.
On Monday, in a surprising move, the Bills announced they had fired head coach Sean McDermott. McDermott, who was hired in 2017, played a major role in the franchise’s resurgence, guiding Buffalo back to relevancy after a lengthy drought and overseeing significant growth over the years.
Hours after the news became public, McDermott broke his silence with an emotional statement reflecting on his time in Buffalo as he now prepares to search for his next coaching opportunity.
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“For nearly a decade, I have had the opportunity to wake up every morning as the head coach of the Buffalo Bills, which has truly been a gift,” McDermott wrote. “I want to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to the Pegula family, the Buffalo Bills organization, and the fans for allowing me to live out the dream of being a head coach in the NFL in this incredibly special place.
“I am proud and humbled to have worked alongside amazing staff and players as we shared life together and poured our hearts and souls into both winning football games and making a positive impact in our community. This community graciously embraced not only me but my family and, in many ways, helped raise our children over the last nine years. For that, I say thank you to all of the teachers, coaches, and friends we met along the way—the City of Good Neighbors. We love you. We will miss Buffalo.”
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McDermott also made sure to thank Bills Mafia in his message, one of the most dedicated fan bases in all of professional sports.
“Bills Mafia, you are one of one! It has been a joy and inspiration to witness your passion and commitment firsthand," he added. "I always wanted our teams to play with the same level of toughness and grit that is true to Buffalo and that you demonstrate every day.”
McDermott won five AFC East titles during his time in Buffalo and compiled a 98-50 regular-season record. However, his 8-8 mark in the postseason ultimately proved to be the deciding factor.
With several head coaching vacancies available, McDermott is expected to become one of the more prominent candidates on the open market, with the expectation that he will look to return to coaching in the near future.
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