Stephen A. Smith isn't happy with Sean McDermott's exit. According to the analyst, Buffalo lost when it didn't capitalize on the trade deadline, with McDermott taking the fall for everything.

While covering the news on First Take, he said that McDermott didn’t deserve the harsh treatment.

“I don’t like it at all. I think he’s being scapegoated. Why is Beane still keeping his job? He’s the one who didn’t have the necessary assets for the Buffalo Bills to advance,” he said. 

Back in November, the Bills were the front-runners to land Jaylen Waddle, reportedly trading their 2027 first-round picks. However, Beane couldn't complete the deal since the Dolphins didn't want to let him go to an AFC East rival.

For a team like the Bills, finishing 13th on the receiving yards leaders list for 2025 isn't what gets them to a Super Bowl. Losing out on Curtis Samuel and Josh Palmer to long-term injuries didn't help. In the end, Jaylen Waddle, a WR with multiple 1000+ receiving yard seasons, could have paired well alongside Khalil Shakir.

But that's not all. According to ESPN Analyst Benjamin Solak, "Since drafting Josh Allen in 2018, the Bills have drafted 56 players. 2 of them (James Cook and Dawson Knox) have made Pro Bowls."

They gave Von Miller a six-year, $120 million contract in 2022. However, injuries and a lack of production from the 36-year-old have made this deal an absolute failure.

For now, GM Brandon Beane has been made the president of football operations and will lead the search for the new head coach. 

And One Insider Might Know Why the Buffalo Bills Kept the GM

Ian Rappoport broke it down on an edition of The Insiders on NFL Network.

"The Buffalo Bills did not reach a Super Bowl, playoffs seemingly every year, AFC East titles seemingly every year, a team that went from nowhere to respectability. But the fact that Sean McDermott, with Josh Allen, with all of those weapons and so much talent on defense, could not get to where they needed to go."

He continued, "My understanding is that McDermott himself had some questions about how much talent the Bills had."

Written by

Kalp Thaker

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar