The Buffalo Bills are staring down a critical offseason, and the search for a new head coach is front and center after parting ways with Sean McDermott following nine seasons at the helm. The move has sparked plenty of debate in Western New York and beyond, with a vocal contingent of fans even launching a petition to bring McDermott back. But not everyone is mourning the decision.
Former Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes, who spent nearly a decade in Buffalo, made it clear he believes the organization made the right call. Responding to a fan on social media who asked why he left the Bills for the Houston Texans, Hughes didn’t mince words.
“Once Sean screwed up the 13 seconds with his calls-prevent defense on every single play-I knew he wasn’t serious,” Hughes posted on X.
That infamous 13-second collapse against the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2021 AFC Divisional Round still stings for Bills fans. It was a game where Josh Allen played lights-out, delivering clutch throw after clutch throw, only for the defense to falter in the final moments. The Chiefs managed to tie the game and eventually win in overtime, and for Hughes, that moment was a turning point in how he viewed McDermott’s leadership.
“If the coach can manage to lose a football game in 13 seconds after the QB put together phenomenal play after phenomenal play, that coach should be fired,” Hughes added. “Seems like someone was on borrowed time.”
That’s a strong statement from a player who knows the locker room and the culture McDermott built. Hughes wasn’t just passing through Buffalo-he was a mainstay on the defensive line from 2013 through 2021.
He racked up 53 sacks in a Bills uniform, including back-to-back 10-sack seasons in his first two years with the team. He was part of the core that helped bring the franchise back to relevance, and his words carry weight.
After his time in Buffalo, Hughes joined the Texans and proved he still had juice, tallying nine sacks in 2022. But it’s clear that his departure from the Bills wasn’t just about a new opportunity-it was also about a lack of faith in the direction the team was heading under McDermott.
The Bills now find themselves at a crossroads. With a franchise quarterback in place and a roster built to contend, the next head coach will inherit a team that’s been knocking on the door but hasn’t been able to break through. Hughes’ comments underscore just how pivotal this hire will be-not just for the next season, but for the trajectory of the franchise.
Buffalo has the talent. What they need now is the leadership to get them over the hump.