Sean McDermott has made a significant contribution to the Buffalo Bills. Ultimately, he failed to live up to the expectations he himself had created. The separation was inevitable. A commentary. Football enthusiasts who have only been following the NFL for a few years know the Buffalo Bills as a consistent contender. But not so long ago, the franchise was a typical wallflower. While their big division rivals, the New England Patriots, dominated the league with Tom Brady and built a dynasty that lasted almost two decades, the Bills were close by in the AFC East as spectators, but very far away in terms of sporting success. Then Sean McDermott came along – and everything changed.

McDermott took over as head coach in Buffalo in 2017 and achieved something in his first season that the Bills had last accomplished in 1999: a playoff berth. By the time Josh Allen was drafted in 2018 and rose to become the new franchise quarterback, the Bills had become a perennial contender for the title.

But with McDermott and Allen, the Bills never progressed beyond that contender status. Because a strong regular season was too often followed by disappointing playoffs. Finally, on Monday, McDermott was fired. The defeat in the divisional round at the Denver Broncos was one disappointment too many.

Just as Allen increasingly became the face of missed opportunities on the field, McDermott represents the same on the sidelines. The Bills’ fate is similar to that of the Baltimore Ravens, who have also been among the frontrunners for years with a top quarterback but have never made it to the Super Bowl.

NFL Playoffs: Bills miss historic opportunity

Yet the prospects for Buffalo this year were perhaps better than ever before. Without the Ravens, without the Kansas City Chiefs, without the Cincinnati Bengals, Allen was clearly the best quarterback in the AFC playoffs. But this historic opportunity was not seized.

McDermott was not responsible for the offense’s play calling, but as head coach, he bears or bore the responsibility of mentally taking the team to the next level. Building a championship gene that would enable them to at least make it to the final game this year.

After nine years in office, the 51-year-old could no longer point to his past achievements. At the end of the day, success in the NFL means reaching the Super Bowl – especially when you are among the contenders year after year. The last step is the hardest, and McDermott was unable to take it.

Bills owner Terry Pegula apparently sees it similarly. “I believe we need a new leadership structure to give this organization the best chance to take our team to the next level,” he said. From that perspective, McDermott became a victim of his own success, which caused expectations to rise higher and higher. His winning percentage was higher than that of John Harbaugh in Baltimore and Mike Tomlin with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Neither of them are still with their long-standing teams – Tomlin left voluntarily, Harbaugh involuntarily.

Buffalo Bills: There was no alternative to parting ways with Sean McDermott

In this respect, McDermott’s dismissal fits in well with the picture of franchises that felt they had reached the end of a cycle. No one knows whether the Bills will reach the Super Bowl with a new head coach. But if those responsible had considerable doubts that it would ever happen with McDermott – and that’s what Pegula’s words suggest – then there was no alternative but to part ways. Josh Allen will turn 30 in May, so it’s the right time to try something different, just in time for the second half of his career. But at the same time, McDermott’s successor won’t have the luxury of being able to build a mediocre franchise over several years. Whoever takes over the Bills will have to deliver maximum success immediately.

The fired coach himself is likely to quickly become one of the top candidates in the completely wild NFL coaching market. McDermott should be high on the list, especially for teams that are currently languishing in mediocrity and looking for a new head coach.

After all, he has proven that he can handle gray mice.