The Buffalo Bills' playoff exit this season didn’t just end their Super Bowl hopes-it may have also peeled back the curtain on some deeper tensions behind the scenes. While former head coach Sean McDermott mostly kept his frustrations quiet, recent revelations suggest he may have had lingering concerns about the roster that went beyond what he let on publicly.
After the Bills’ divisional-round loss to the Broncos-a game that turned on a controversial no-review call that flipped a Brandin Cooks reception into a Ja’Quan McMillian interception-McDermott wasn’t ready to let it go. He reportedly followed up with Buffalo News reporter Jay Skurski from the team plane, continuing to question how the play was ruled and handled. That moment wasn’t just about one call; it hinted at a coach who felt the margin for error on his roster was razor-thin-and maybe thinner than it should’ve been.
Cooks, of course, was a midseason addition, scooped up by Buffalo after the Saints tried to sneak him through waivers by restructuring his contract. The Bills were one of the teams reportedly monitoring Cooks closely, and when he became available, they pounced. But while Cooks brought speed and experience, it’s possible McDermott had his eyes on another receiver: Jakobi Meyers.
Before Meyers was dealt to the Jaguars, the Bills had been linked to him as a potential trade target. And just days before Buffalo’s wild-card matchup in Jacksonville, McDermott made an interesting comment-one that didn’t get much attention at the time but now feels a little more pointed.
“Well, I thought one of the moves that’s made, you know, a difference for them offensively is adding Jakobi Meyers,” McDermott said. “Good pickup for them. Probably a guy that’s, quite honestly, been undervalued in his career, but going against him in New England, ton of respect for his game.”
On the surface, it sounds like a coach giving credit where it’s due. But in hindsight, it reads like a subtle critique-maybe even a not-so-veiled shot at GM Brandon Beane for not getting a deal done for a player McDermott clearly admired.
That possible disconnect between coach and front office becomes even more interesting when you look at how the Bills handled rookie receiver Keon Coleman, their second-round pick in 2024. After the trade deadline, Coleman was a healthy scratch for several games.
At the time, it seemed like a mutual decision between McDermott and Beane-maybe Coleman wasn’t ready, or the matchups didn’t favor his skill set. But if McDermott was already questioning the depth and readiness of his receiving corps, benching a high draft pick in the middle of a playoff push might not have been his call-or at least not one he fully supported.
Meanwhile, other teams were making aggressive moves that paid off. The Jaguars got Meyers, who gave Trevor Lawrence another reliable target.
And the Seahawks pulled off a sneaky-good trade for Rashid Shaheed, who made his presence felt in a big way. His punt return in Week 16 helped Seattle lock up the NFC’s top seed, and his kick return touchdown to open the playoff win over San Francisco set the tone for a dominant performance.
It’s fair to wonder: did the Bills target the wrong Saints receiver?
Beane, for his part, has expressed skepticism about the NFL’s growing trade culture. Just last January, he dismissed the flurry of in-season deals as “fantasy football.” But in today’s league, where contenders are constantly reloading midseason, that kind of thinking may be a step behind the curve.
At the end of the day, McDermott paid the price for another season that fell short of expectations. The Bills once again came up short of the Super Bowl dream that’s hung over the franchise for decades.
And now, every decision-past and future-will be viewed through a sharper lens. The moves they didn’t make, the players they didn’t acquire, and the weapons they didn’t put around Josh Allen are all part of the postmortem.
For Buffalo, the challenge moving forward is clear: align the front office and coaching vision, maximize the prime years of a franchise quarterback, and make sure that when the next opportunity comes, they’ve got the firepower to take it. Because in today’s NFL, standing still isn’t just risky-it’s a recipe for regret.