Sean McDermott’s only stint as an NFL head coach came with the Buffalo Bills. A tenure that stretched over nine seasons (2017-2025) was marked by stabilization and consistent regular-season success, where the Bills made the playoffs eight times. Despite that, when the franchise parted ways with McDermott, it left a dent in his life.

“There’s certainly a little bit of adversity that we were facing as a family,” McDermott said on The Jim Rome Show. “But that’s, that’s okay. That’s healthy, but it was hard at the same time. So it’s kind of what I equated to is really like, ‘Hey, going on through four quarters of a football game.’ And not to sound corny, but that’s how I’m kind of looking at it. First quarter was, ‘Hey, definitely adversity.’ Nine years in a spot we grew very close to the community of Buffalo, had a great connection, really proud of what we did. All right, what’s next?

“The second quarter is learning from our time of reflection, my time in this case reflecting as a person reflecting as a head coach, as a father, as a husband, a son and a brother, and ultimately as a man.”

The reason behind Sean McDermott’s exit was his failure to cross the final hurdle in the playoff games to reach the Super Bowl final and win the Lombardi. Hence, owner Terry Pegula felt the team had hit a postseason wall, which prompted the organizational shift to maximize quarterback Josh Allen’s prime window.

However, the sacking does not necessarily undermine McDermott’s prowess as a head coach. After all, he ended the franchise’s historic 17-year playoff drought in his very first season (2017). On top of that, McDermott boasts an overall career regular-season record of 98–50 (.662) and a postseason record of 8–8.

So, somewhere down in the future, Sean McDermott may yet again appear on the sidelines of an NFL game. But as things stand, the 52-year-old is utilizing the 2026 season as a sabbatical to regroup, unpack his long tenure in Buffalo, and prepare for a second stint as an NFL head coach.

“I’m spending a lot of my time now doing a ton of research on leadership, obviously spending time as you mentioned with some teams,” McDermott added. “And then once the season comes around, I’m going to be elbow deep in scheme and getting ourselves, getting myself ready to go back out there and have a scheme that is, that is cutting edge.”

After Sean McDermott’s exit, the Buffalo Bills promoted Joe Brady from offensive coordinator to take up head coach duties from the 2026 season. Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see when McDermott returns to the sidelines and who he will be the HC for in the NFL.