4 recent signs Sean McDermott's job status was in jeopardy, and Josh Allen likely knew

It certainly seems possible when looking back and connecting the dots.

While head coach Sean McDermott's dismissal caught the large majority of Buffalo Bills' fans and local media off guard, there's evidence that suggests owner Terry Pegula had been considering this course of action for multiple weeks.

Being that Pegula hasn't formally taken questions from the Bills' press corps in years, it's not yet known when exactly the owner surprisingly soured on the head coach.

Although no one could have imagined it rising to the level of dismissal, there was evidence of trouble in paradise during the first week of December when McDermott was visibly annoyed by the Darius Slay situation. It was the first in a series of veiled verbal shots the head coach would fire at general manager Brandon Beane's roster management.

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott yells over to the bench during first half action at Empower FIeld at Mile High in Denver, Colorado on Jan. 17, 2026. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Darius Slay response

Blindly claiming cornerback Darius Slay caused the Bills to make cornerback Ja'Marcus Ingram available on waivers. The Houston Texans poached Ingram while Slay declined to report for work.

McDermott was clearly perturbed by the fact that he was left with only three true boundary cornerbacks on the active roster. When asked for an update on Slay, the head coach immediately deflected the question to general manager Brandon Beane.

"No. If there is [an update], I don't have it. That's more of a [general manger] Brandon [Beane] question," said McDermott.

First, however, McDermott made it a point to express his disappointment in losing a valuable backup like Ingram, an undrafted free agent developed by the Bills.

"It’s unfortunate that that unfolded and went down the way it did. I'm a huge JaMarcus Ingram fan and will always be," said McDermott.

When a subsequent Slay-related question was asked, the head coach firmly declined to answer.

"You talking about Darius Slay? Yea, I'm not gonna answer questions about Darius Slay, respectfully. That's a question for Brandon. I'm focused on our current team and this game this week," said McDermott.

Underwhelming WR additions

It may not be a coincidence that McDermott seemingly went out of his way to praise Jacksonville Jaguars' wide receiver Jakobi Meyers on two separate occasions leading up to the January 11 wild-card game.

McDermott highlighted Meyers, who the Jaguars acquired via mid-season trade, as a true difference maker for the offense. All the while, the Bills' roster has seemingly had a hole at the wide receiver position since trading away Stefon Diggs after the 2023 campaign.

Despite Beane's insistence that Buffalo offense had plenty of adequate firepower amongst its WR corps, the unit was one of the NFL's least-productive statistically speaking.

Although injuries were partly to blame, the Bills had waiver claim Brandin Cooks and practice squad elevation Mecole Hardman on the field in overtime of a divisional round playoff game.

MORE: Bills' starting cornerbacks practice WR drills amid injury wave

It's not crazy to think McDermott was, in some way, unhappy with Beane's roster management.

Jakobi Meyers Tossed Joey Bosa pic.twitter.com/4idGtHG6dJ
— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) January 11, 2026

McDermott's reaction to officiating

When Buffalo pool reporter Jay Skurski revealed that McDermott called him later this past Saturday night to expound on his postgame reaction to the Brandin Cooks no-catch ruling, it reeked of desperation from the dejected coach.

It was as if McDermott was trying to absolve himself of the loss, knowing that it may have cost him his job. Even his postgame podium remarks about "standing up for Buffalo" appear as a rally cry aimed at gaining goodwill and support amongst the fanbase.

Standing up for Buffalo. pic.twitter.com/ERoN20ag6R
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) January 18, 2026

Josh Allen's outwardly emotional display

Clearly shaken, Allen somberly approached the podium to make his postgame remarks in the wake of the Bills' 33-30 season-ending overtime loss.

"It's extremely difficult. I feel like I let my teammates down tonight," said Allen.

He continued as tears ran down his face.

"I just missed opportunities throughout the game," said Allen. "It's been a long season. I hate how it ended, and it's going to stick with me for a long time."

MORE: Bills suffer another playoff exit due to same Sean McDermott-rooted shortcomings

It truly seemed as if the quarterback knew what was about to happen to his head coach as a result of the loss, and, naturally, felt responsibility for it.

Although consistently passionate, Allen never appeared in front of reporters as distraught as he was in Denver. It was clear that this loss, for whatever reason, affected him emotionally more than any other over his eight-year NFL career.

In an eerie way, Allen may have hinted at what was to follow in the coming days, and felt a sense of guilt for failing to prevent it.

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