Bills make change among coaching staff following AFC championship game appearance

The Bills decided to part ways with special teams coordinator Matthew Smiley following an overall successful 2024 season that fell short of the ultimate goal.

Bills special teams coach Matthew Smiley / Jamie Germano/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

After eight seasons of working with the special teams in Buffalo, the decision has been made to move on from their coordinator.

The Buffalo Bills have parted ways with special teams coordinator Matthew Smiley, according to NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero.

The move comes as a surprise as Sean McDermott announced just a week ago that Smiley was going to return to the Bills in 2025. McDermott acknowledged that the special teams needed to improve, but still backed up Smiley, according to Alex Brasky of Bills Digest.

Aug 20, 2022; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills special teams coordinator Matthew Smiley against the Denver Broncos at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

"I know there's plays that have come up and he doesn't feel great about them nor do I. Those are learning moments. I'm confident that coach Smiley is going to learn from those situations and plays that came up this year."

Bills special teams coordinator Matthew Smiley. / Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

Smiley joined the Bills back in 2017 where he started as the assistant special teams coordinator. In 2022, he was promoted to special teams coordinator as he has held the position for three seasons.

Before Buffalo, Smiley coached four seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars as their assistant special teams coordinator. He was previously an assistant on the college level for multiple schools including Eastern Illinois and Charleston.

Buffalo Bills place kicker Tyler Bass. / Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The special teams for the Bills struggled this season in the kicking game and in the return game. Buffalo was ranked 26th in average yards per kickoff return with 25.9 and neither the kickoff or punt teams returned a touchdown.

Kicker Tyler Bass has also seen major regression over the last two seasons as the Bills were 22nd in field goal percentage with 82.8%. Bass had identical numbers in 2023 as well as he made 82.8% of his field goals with the difference being he was worst this season in extra points only making 92.2% of them which is a career-low.

Dec 1, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills punter Sam Martin (8). / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

To add to the struggles of the special teams in Buffalo, the Bills were tied for 25th in the NFL in net average yards per punt with 40.9 and had a punt blocked. Punter Sam Martin's net yardage has taken a dip over the last two seasons as well as he was at 39.9 net yards per punt in 2023.

Jan 26, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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