The Buffalo Bills have been one of the more disappointing teams of the 2023 NFL season. They began as Super Bowl hopefuls, and backed up the predictions by winning three of their first four games in borderline dominating fashion. But they have since lost five of their last eight games, have fired their offensive coordinator, and their odds of qualifying for the postseason are less than 20%. There are major questions surrounding both the short and long term futures of the team, but it appears that head coach Sean McDermott will be safe, according to reports.
Bills Won’t Fire McDermott After Season, Say Sources
UPDATE: The #Bills will not fire head coach Sean McDermott after this season, sources tell @ByTimGraham
From the report: “Asked if there was any chance Pegula would fire McDermott, two of the sources replied “Zero.” The other two sources said they would be shocked if Pegula… https://t.co/pFQsJqZlDB pic.twitter.com/L8hD2RziG6
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 30, 2023
McDermott has drawn criticism this season, both from the Bills fan base and the media. There have been questionable decisions made throughout the year, which have been compounded with his inability to get Buffalo to the Super Bowl over the last few years. And while there haven’t been any rumors about the Bills front office looking to make any changes, it has been presumed that McDermott is on the hot seat.
Those presumptions would be incorrect, at least according to an article by Tim Graham of The Athletic that was released on Thursday. For the report, Graham checked in with four different sources that were connected with Bills owner Terry Pegula to get a pulse on what the higher ups were thinking when it came to their head coach.
Team Owner Still Holds Coach In High Regard
: There is “zero chance” that the #Bills fire head coach Sean McDermott, per @TheAthleticNFL
He’ll be back next year. The Bills have had their struggles this season, but McDermott’s job security seems to be pretty safe. They fired OC Ken Dorsey earlier this season… pic.twitter.com/YOAXxFeoCm
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) November 30, 2023
Two of the sources reportedly said that there was “zero” chance that Sean McDermott is fired during the coming offseason, and the other two said that they would be shocked if the owner makes that particular move. They went on to say that Pegula still holds McDermott in high regards, and that he doesn’t want to meddle with the relationship that the head coach has with general manager Brandon Beane.
There is still hope for Buffalo this season, though they have a seriously tough hill to climb. The trek will start after their current bye week, when they square off against the mighty Kansas City Chiefs in Week 14. New issues have arrisen for the team despite being off this week, as it has been reported that pass rusher Von Miller has a warrant out for his arrest for a domestic violence accusation.