Sean McDermott has taken the Bills from afterthought to favorite to win the AFC East, which is worth some newfound job security in the eye of the franchise.
Buffalo signed McDermott to a multi-year contract extension, the team announced Wednesday. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported the Bills gave their coach a new six-year contract that runs through 2025; McDermott had two years left on his previous deal.
"Sean's leadership on and off the field has been nothing but genuine and transparent, qualities we appreciate as owners," Bills owner Kim Pegula said in a statement. "He is the same great person to us, the players and everyone across all our organizations. We will never forget how impressed we were during his first interview. Sean's attention to detail was apparent back then and his process driven approach has brought great stability to our organization. We are happy to extend his contract and keep him in Western New York for many years to come."
In a relatively short amount of time, McDermott has instilled a tough, gritty culture in Buffalo that has produced stingy defenses and turned an also-ran into a contender. The Bills snuck into the playoffs in 2017, ending a drought that extended back to 1999, and two years later, they looked like a legitimate threat in their return to the postseason.
A heartbreaking loss ended that run prematurely, but McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane have the Bills positioned well for the future. With franchise quarterback Josh Allen looking to take the next step and big-play threat Stefon Diggs arriving as the new guy in town, Buffalo's offense might come closer to matching the play of its reliable defense. Prime-time wins over teams like Dallas will no longer be viewed as a holiday surprise, but an expectation in a post-Tom Brady AFC East.
The Bills like the sound of that and are now signed up for many more years of it.
