The Buffalo Bills were already facing questions after their latest playoff exit. But when team owner Terry Pegula and general manager Brandon Beane stepped in front of the microphones on Wednesday to explain the decision to part ways with head coach Sean McDermott, things didn’t get clearer - they got messier.
Pegula opened by saying the Bills had hit “the proverbial playoff wall,” a phrase that might’ve landed better if it wasn’t immediately followed by a contradictory explanation. He then pointed to a controversial officiating call as a key reason for the team’s postseason loss. That raised eyebrows: if the refs were to blame, why was McDermott shown the door?
And then came the moment that really lit the fuse.
Pegula, unprompted, addressed the team’s rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman - and not in a way that suggested confidence or support. “The coaching staff pushed to draft Keon,” Pegula said.
“I’m not saying Brandon [Beane] wouldn’t have drafted him, but he wasn’t his next choice. That was Brandon being a team player and taking advice from his coaching staff who felt strongly about the player.”
If the intent was to clear Beane’s name from criticism, the result was something else entirely. Pegula essentially distanced the front office from the team’s first-round pick - a move that not only undermines the player but also raises questions about the internal alignment between the GM and coaching staff. For a team trying to project stability, this was anything but.
To make matters worse, footage quickly resurfaced online of Beane speaking enthusiastically about Coleman during the draft, casting doubt on the owner’s version of events. The internet, of course, pounced.
The press conference quickly became a viral spectacle. Fans, analysts, and former players took to social media, and the reaction was swift and scathing.
One Bills fan called it “a dumpster fire inside of a train wreck.” Another said the organization had made the unthinkable happen - making the Bills job, with Josh Allen under center, look less appealing.
Even more telling? Bills fans have started an online petition to reinstate McDermott as head coach - a rare move in a league where coaching changes are typically met with either optimism or resignation. As of Thursday morning, that petition had already gathered over 25,000 signatures.
And then there’s the optics. Pegula’s comments not only muddied the waters around McDermott’s firing, but they also cast a shadow over Coleman, a young player still finding his footing in the league. Publicly framing him as a coaching staff pick - and not necessarily a consensus one - doesn’t help his development or locker room standing.
The fallout didn’t stop there. Media personalities across the sports world weighed in, some comparing the Bills’ dysfunction to that of the New York Jets - a team that’s long been the league’s poster child for chaos. That’s not the company Buffalo wants to keep.
Just a few days ago, the Bills were seen as a perennial contender, a team with a franchise quarterback and a front office praised for building a sustainable winner. Now, they’re facing questions about leadership, direction, and internal cohesion.
The press conference was supposed to provide clarity. Instead, it’s raised more questions than answers - and for Bills fans, that’s the most frustrating part.
The team still has Josh Allen. They still have talent.
But the sudden shift in tone and the public airing of internal disagreements have shaken the foundation.
If this week was any indication, the Bills are entering one of the most pivotal offseasons in franchise history. And how they respond - from the head coaching hire to how they handle their young players - will shape not just next season, but the trajectory of the Allen era in Buffalo.
For now, though, the Bills are trying to explain their way out of a PR storm of their own making.