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Buffalo Bills locker room reacts to Sean McDermott being fired

Buffalo Bills players are sharing their feelings after learning head coach Sean McDermott was fired on Monday.
Randy Gurzi|
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott looks on during the second quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott looks on during the second quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Highmark Stadium. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

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Sean McDermott spent nine years as the head coach of the Buffalo Bills, but his tenure came to an end on Monday morning. Two days after suffering an overtime loss to the Denver Broncos in the playoffs, McDermott was fired.

Buffalo announced it would keep general manager Brandon Beane, who has also been criticized for his shortcomings when it comes to building the roster. Despite this, he was given a promotion and will lead the search for a new coach.

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McDermott won't be easy to replace after winning 98 games in nine seasons. Not only does he go down as the second-winningest coach in franchise history, but he was beloved in the locker room. That was evident throughout his tenure, but has been emphasized by the reaction to his departure.

Buffalo Bills players react to Sean McDermott firing

Players aren't holding back after hearing Monday's news. One of the most passionate statements came from defensive tackle Jordan Phillips, who called McDermott the best coach he's ever been around.

The 33-year-old Phillips had three stints with the Bills, and struggled to find consistent success whenever he did leave Buffalo.

Phillips isn't the only player who had multiple stints under McDermott. Shaq Thompson played for McDermott with the Carolina Panthers, returning in 2025. Thompson was asked about McDermott as a head coach, and his answer showed how much he cared about him.

"He just showed me how he could build a team with guys with the same mindset as him that want to run through walls and stuff like that. And I believe everybody in that locker room would have ran through a wall for Coach McDermott and Beane and everybody up there. And everybody would have ran through a wall for themselves. You know what I mean? And that's the type of coach you want to play for while you're in this league. You want to play somebody you want to run through the wall for. And that's somebody I'll run through the wall for."

Not everyone was willing to put their name to their feelings, with an anonymous player having a NSFW response when speaking with WGRZ's Jon Scott.

It was similar with Cameron Wolfe from the NFL Network, who said multiple players were shocked.

Former players responded as well, with Isaiah McKenzie sending his thanks to McDermott. McKenzie played five years under McDermott, last suiting up in Buffalo during the 2022 season.

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Randy Gurzi
RANDY GURZI

Randy Gurzi is a graduate of Arizona State and has focused on NFL coverage since 2014.