Bills owner explains McDermott firing, pins Coleman pick on coaches
Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula addressed the stunning decision to fire head coach Sean McDermott and retain general manager Brandon Beane during a press conference Wednesday.
"My decision to bring in a new coach was based on the results of our game in Denver," Pegula said, according to Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. "I saw the pain in Josh (Allen)'s face at his presser, and I felt his pain. I know we can do better, and I know we will get there."
The Bills' season ended with a controversial overtime loss to the Denver Broncos, who kicked a walk-off field goal moments after the officials awarded Denver an interception on a contested play that would've put Buffalo in position to win with a field goal if ruled a catch.
Pegula strongly thinks the refs made "a bad call," according to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team.
The Bills, who've consistently fallen short in the postseason with several heartbreaking losses in recent years, have yet to reach the Super Bowl in the Allen era.
"I felt like we had hit the proverbial playoff wall. Thirteen seconds. Missed field goal. The catch," Pegula added, according to Sal Capaccio of WGR 550.
Pegula said he didn't talk to Allen before choosing to part with McDermott but added that the star quarterback will have input as the team looks for a new coach, according to Jon Scott of WGRZ.
In perhaps his most candid comments from Wednesday's interview, Pegula interrupted Beane to address the draft selection of wide receiver Keon Coleman. The Bills took Coleman with the 33rd pick in the 2024 draft, but the wideout has fallen well short of expectations. Pegula said that it was Buffalo's coaching staff - not Beane - who wanted the Florida State product.
Terry Pegula says the decision to draft Keon Coleman was pushed for by the coaching staff, and that he wasn’t Brandon Beane’s go to choice.
— Trainwreck Sports (@TrainwreckSprts) January 21, 2026
Says Beane was being a “team player”.
Via Bills Live#BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/Hd2Lls1KdP
Pegula also downplayed a recent report from WGRZ's Vic Carucci stating that McDermott irked Pegula and Beane by criticizing the roster late in the season. McDermott reportedly pointed out what the roster lacked to win a Super Bowl during a meeting five weeks ago, and his assessment didn't sit well with Pegula and Beane.
Beane on report of a meeting 5 weeks ago, Pegula says he doesn't know where that came from but they would meet all the time about what's working and not.
— Sal Capaccio 🏈 (@SalSports) January 21, 2026
Under McDermott's watch, the Bills posted a 98-50 regular-season record from 2017-25, making the playoffs every year since 2019. However, Buffalo is 8-8 in the postseason over that span.
"What is success? Is it being in the playoffs seven straight years without a Super Bowl appearance?" Pegula said, according to Scott.
The Bills kicked off their head coaching search by requesting interviews with multiple familiar names, including Brian Daboll and Joe Brady.