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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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To say the Buffalo Bills’ season ended in devastating fashion would be an understatement.
The Bills were eliminated from the playoffs by the Denver Broncos in a 33–30 overtime loss at Empower Field at Mile High, despite entering the postseason with many of their usual obstacles out of the way. For the first time in the Josh Allen era, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, and Joe Burrow all missed the playoffs.
With the remaining AFC field largely made up of younger quarterbacks with little to no postseason experience, many around the league viewed this as Buffalo’s best window yet to make a Super Bowl run, making the loss to Denver all the more crushing.
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Owner Terry Pegula announced head coach Sean McDermott’s dismissal in the days following the loss, citing the emotional state of the team after the game, including a visibly distraught Josh Allen, as a determining factor in the decision.
McDermott exits after nine seasons with the franchise, compiling a 98–50 regular-season record and winning five straight AFC East titles, but ultimately falling short of the organization’s championship expectations. The situation drew comparisons to James Franklin’s tenure at Penn State — consistent success, but persistent questions about ceiling and postseason performance.
At the same press appearance, Pegula announced that Brandon Beane would be promoted to President of Football Operations in addition to his role as general manager, and that he would lead the search for McDermott’s replacement. The decision was met with immediate backlash, particularly given several recent personnel moves that have come under scrutiny.
As if the moment was not already contentious enough, Beane addressed the recent Darius Slay episode, stating, “When we claimed Darius Slay, we had no idea he had intent to only play for one team.”
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The comment only intensified criticism from fans and analysts who questioned how the situation was handled and why the front office escaped accountability while the head coach did not.
"This changed our entire season, Eagles prob win against commanders week 17 if they have slay, Bills front office a joke," said one fan.
"If this is true, he’s incredibly inept," another user stated.
"Maybe they should’ve paid attention to his interviews immediately following being released. He explicitly said he hoped Philly would have him back," one other fan commented.
"So not only is he a terrible GM, he's also a liar. Got it," another user replied.
"This franchise is about to go under smh," one other posted.
"Between these comments and his other one's he made recently, this dude's a loser," said another fan.
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The Bills claimed Slay off waivers after Pittsburgh released him. Slay subsequently declined to report to Buffalo, publicly citing timing and family considerations, and repeatedly suggested that retirement was a possibility.
Buffalo then placed Slay on the "Reserve/Did Not Report" list to retain his rights. By doing so, the team prevented him from signing elsewhere unless he was released. The waiver claim, however, also forced Buffalo to waive Ja’Marcus Ingram, who was promptly claimed by another team, an immediate roster cost that further fueled criticism of the move.
Criticism of Beane over the past few days has not been limited to the Slay–Ingram outcome, though. Other perceived missteps in recent personnel decisions, most notably the selection of Keon Coleman in the 2025 NFL Draft, have also come under scrutiny, along with the optics of promoting the general manager after firing the head coach.
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