After nine seasons as the head man in Orchard Park, Sean McDermott was fired by the Buffalo Bills on Monday morning, and some players have shared messages reflecting on his impact.
McDermott's firing came two days after the Bills suffered a 33-30 overtime loss to the Denver Broncos, marking the fourth time in five seasons the Bills were eliminated in the divisional round.
As Buffalo's coach, McDermott held an 8-8 record in the postseason.
"Sean has done an admiral job of leading our football team for the past 9 seasons," Bills owner Terry Pegula said in a statement. "But I feel we are in need of a new structure within our leadership to give this organization the best opportunity to take our team to the next level. We owe that to our players and Bills Mafia."
Here's how players who crossed paths with McDermott reacted to the news of his dismissal.
Bills, NFL players chime in
Once the news of McDermott's termination was announced, defensive tackles Jordan Phillips and Daquan Jones expressed their perspectives on their Instagram stories.
"This s--- here is so stupid honestly sickening. The best coaching I've ever been around," Phillips wrote.
"Don't make sense but ya got what ya wanted," Jones wrote.
Bills safety Damar Hamlin and offensive tackle Dion Dawkins were heartbroken by McDermott's firing, while Cleveland Browns safety Kendrick Green, who was a member of the Bills' practice squad, shared his experience of being around McDermott.
💔💔💔.
— 𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐦𝐥𝐢𝐧 (@HamlinIsland) January 19, 2026
A True Leader Of Men.
— 𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐦𝐥𝐢𝐧 (@HamlinIsland) January 19, 2026
Thank You For Everything! On & Beyond The Field. We Love You Coach. 🫶🏾🫶🏾🫶🏾 pic.twitter.com/3EFaeybgVU
True leader amongst a world full of alphas's , Honored and Truly Best to learn under our Time. McDeezzyyyy You Are Truly One Of them Ones. 💔 Until The Grass Meets us Again #YouAlreadyShnow pic.twitter.com/GAMqreeilo
— Dion Dawkins (@DDawkins66) January 19, 2026
Leader of Men. Thank you Coach. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/KMNvncjbMH
— Reid Ferguson (@SnapFlow69) January 19, 2026
Best coach I've been around https://t.co/gziI5Z43aM
— Kendrick J. Green (@The_fridge53) January 19, 2026
