Bills can save fans from Brandon Beane's malpractice with one simple move

The Bills' GM was promoted after the firing of Sean McDermott, but that may not be the end of the team's staff moves.

Bills General Manager Brandon Beane keeps watch on the action on the field on the second day of the Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher University in Rochester Monday, July 25, 2022. | Shawn Dowd / USA TODAY NETWORK

Brandon Beane should have been the one to go.

That was the resounding message sent by the Buffalo Bills’ fan base after the team fired longtime head coach Sean McDermott on Monday, days after a disappointing playoff defeat.

Nonetheless, the Bills’ embattled GM remains, and, to make matters worse for the Buffalo faithful, the organization promoted him, elevating his status to President of Football Operations along with his GM duties to the shock of many, not only close to the team but also around the league.

With that said, there is one move the Bills could still make that would save the fanbase from more years of the team’s failed GM pulling all of the strings. 

RELATED: Explaining why time was right to fire Sean McDermott as Buffalo Bills head coach

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane (left) and owner Terry Pegula on the field before a game against the Houston Texans at Highmark Stadium. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Make it happen

With his advancement to President of Football Ops., there is a slight chance the move signals a potential promotion of an in-house candidate or the signing of an out-of-house choice to take over as the team’s GM beginning in the 2026 season. That would allow Beane to fully commit to his new position of President within the organization while serving as Team Owner Terry Pegula’s right-hand man on all things football, without being as involved in the day-to-day decisions. In other words, it would place him at the macro level rather than the micro level.

The Bills have a few names within the organization they could quickly elevate to a GM role, including former Houston Texans GM and current Bills assistant general manager Brian Gaine. He is one of two assistant GMs on Buffalo’s staff, along with Terrance Gray, who the team promoted from Director of Player Personnel in May of last year.

Gaine served as Texans GM during a failed stint during the 2018 season. Gray has received interviews for GM jobs in the past and is known as a supreme talent evaluator.

MORE: Don't blame refs for Bills' loss to Broncos, blame Josh Allen

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane (left) and team owner Terry Pegula on the sideline during mini-camp at New Era Field. | Kevin Hoffman-Imagn Images

Also, with the Bills set to bring in a new head coach, it should be considered that whoever the team settles on for that position may want some say in the GM he would work alongside for the next however many years. In fact, that would likely be a requirement if the team hopes to attract a top outside head coaching candidate. If that is the case, an outside candidate would be more likely to take over than either Gaine or Gray.

Somewhat of a precedent set

The Bills have previously enacted a plan similar to that which would remove Beane from his GM role.

When Pegula moved on from former head coach Rex Ryan and brought McDermott on board, the Bills' then-GM, Doug Whaley, remained with the team through the draft process before being fired. The Bills then signed Beane as GM post-draft, and the rest is history.

So, while it's not the same situation as the one previously laid out, with Whaley being fired rather than promoted, spacing out their decisions to relieve a head coach and GM of their respective duties is something the Bills have done before.

MORE: Three ways Bills disrespected Sean McDermott after firing longtime head coach

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— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) January 19, 2026

So, while it would be somewhat of a surprise if the Bills announced Beane’s promotion only to provide him with slightly less control over personnel decisions, crazier things have happened.

Beane is expected to speak to reporters this week, while it is unknown if Pegula will join him. This situation will be worth monitoring in the coming days and weeks, as the Bills are amid a massive transition for the first time in nearly a decade.

And now, Pegula will have to make a few decisions moving forward that will have franchise-changing implications. He'd best not screw it up.

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