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Bills' Sean McDermott has 'extremely competitive' relationship with ex-boss Andy Reid

Sean McDermott and Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid have known each other for 25 years, and the fire is still there.
Brian Letscher|
Jan 26, 2025; Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott against the Kansas City Chiefs during the AFC Championship game.
Jan 26, 2025; Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott against the Kansas City Chiefs during the AFC Championship game. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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Buffalo Bills' head coach Sean McDermott and Kansas City Chiefs' head coach Andy Reid go way back.

In 2001, Reid, then head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, gave McDermott his first NFL coaching job as a defensive quality control coach. After taking on various roles over multiple years, Reid made McDermott his defensive coordinator in 2009, after the passing of legendary DC Jim Johnson.

But, after two seasons, Reid fired McDermott. The defense was decent -- ranked 12th in the league both of McDermott's years -- and while Reid believed in McDermott he felt he needed a fresh start elsewhere. As former Eagles' president, Joe Banner, told The 33rd Team, "...they both came from a place of mutual respect. Andy was invested in Sean’s future even though he was making the change. He truly believed he was going to have a great career even as he was letting him go."

Reid was proven right when, after six very successful seasons as the defensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers, McDermott was named head coach of the Bills in 2017 and has led them to five straight AFC East titles since 2019.

Sean McDermott
Dec 15, 2008; Philadelphia EaglesSean McDermott along the sidelines during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Browns | Howard Smith-Imagn Images

Unfortunately, four of those playoff seasons have ended with a loss to Reid and the Chiefs, including this years nail biter of the AFC championship game in Kansas City — feeding what may the best rivalry in the NFL, a sentiment the fiesty McDermott shared recently with Peter Schrager of Good Morning Football.

"My admiration, my respect for Andy Reid runs deep. I've learned so much from him. Having said that though, our games are extremely competitive for a reason — he wants to beat me and I want to beat him," said McDermott.

As McDermott and Bills prepare for yet another run at a Super Bowl, there is a good chance they will need to beat the Chiefs in the playoffs to get there. It's an opportunity that Buffalo's head man clearly relishes.

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Brian Letscher
BRIAN LETSCHER

A Michigan native, Brian graduated from the University of Michigan in another century, where he earned a degree in economics and a Rose Bowl Championship ring while playing football for the Wolverines under Head Coach Gary Moeller. Brian went on to coach Division 1A football for several years before becoming a full-time writer and actor while maintaining an unhealthy interest in sports. He is currently developing a scripted television series, THOSE WHO STAY, based on a series of historical fiction articles he wrote about Bo Schembechler's Michigan football program as they struggle to unite and win the championship - which requires beating #1 Ohio State - during the tumultuous civil rights and anti-war movements of 1969.

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