Buffalo Bills Make Decision on Head Coach Sean McDermott Before 2023 Season

The Buffalo Bills made a big decision on head coach Sean McDermott ahead of the 2023 season. The team announced on Friday that they have signed McDermott to a contract extension that will run through 2027. The Bills also announced they have extended the contract of general manager Brandon Beane for the same amount of time. 

“Sean is a proud, Christian, determined man,” Bills owner Terry Pegula said in a statement. “I remember before his interview for the Bills’ head coaching job thinking about him being a two-time National Prep Wrestling Champ. I thought to myself, you wrestled, you’re determined, you love what you’re doing, and you won. He comes to the Bills every day and will never ask anyone, player or coach, to do anything he wouldn’t do.”  

McDermott, 49, was hired as the Bills’ head coach in 2017 after spending the previous six NFL seasons as the defensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers. In his six seasons as the Bills’ head coach, McDermott led the team to three AFC East titles and one appearance in the AFC Championship game. The Bills have only missed the playoffs once, which was in 2018, and that was also the Bills’ only losing season in the last six years. 

In March, McDermott spoke to reporters at the NFL Annual League Meeting about the AFC East improving in 2023. “Yeah, we have a tremendous amount of respect for them,” McDermott said, per NFL.com. “Not only at the coach level but at the talent level they’ve been able to accrue. You look across the division, and to your point, it’s impressive. So we have to make sure we continue to reinvent ourselves to stay on top of the division.”

The news comes after the team dealt with some controversy with wide receiver Stefon Diggs. He missed the first day of mandatory minicamp but returned the next day. “Let me be clear, Stef did everything that he was asked to do. He was here Monday and executed his physical on time. Stef reported Tuesday, and reported for meetings, at which time we had a good conversation,” McDermott said after the second day of minicamp. “Great communication, and we got to a point yesterday where we just felt like we all needed a break and some space and so I gave Stef permission to get some space and head out and then picked up those conversations after practice.”