Joe Brady Admits He Was ‘Broken’ When Bills Fired Sean McDermott

Joe Brady is entering his first full season as the Buffalo Bills head coach. But there’s still lingering distress in Brady regarding his predecessor Sean McDermott’s departure.

Speaking on the Shout Buffalo Bills podcast, Brady recalled the moment he heard about McDermott’s firing from the team.

I didn’t see that and think, ‘I want to be the head coach.’ I was broken. I was broken for a guy that I worked for. I was also broken for the rest of the coaching staff that is sitting there, like, we’re all out of jobs right now. There was a lot of emotion going on.

Joe Brady said

The Bills finished second in the AFC East with a 12-5 record. Despite missing out on divisional glory, the Bills were viewed among the favorites to challenge the Rams and Seahawks in the Super Bowl. However, they lost to the Broncos in the playoffs. A few days later, owner Terry Pegula fired McDermott.

It was McDermott who recruited Brady as the Bills’ quarterbacks coach in 2022 after witnessing his good work as the Panthers’ offensive coordinator. A year before joining the Panthers, Brady worked as the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach for the 2019 LSU team, considered one of the best college football teams ever.

Sean McDermott made the Bills competitive

The Bills were a powerhouse during the Jim Kelly era, reaching four straight Super Bowls. After Kelly retired, they entered into a long dry spell without a single playoff appearance until McDermott entered the frame.

Against the fans’ wishes, McDermott drafted a virtually unknown quarterback prospect from Wyoming, Josh Allen, in 2018. Excluding his rookie year, Allen led the Bills to seven straight winning seasons and six divisional titles.

Expectations grew, but the Bills fell short of achieving their ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl. Despite reaching two AFC title games, they lost both. The defeat to the Broncos in the recent playoffs turned out to be the final nail in the coffin for McDermott.

Brady took over as the new head honcho. According to him, the club is in a better spot thanks to McDermott.

This organization [the Buffalo Bills] is in a much better spot than when he took it over. I’m not walking into the same situation that he’s walking into, and there’s so much good that comes from that. Sean was an extremely successful head football coach. I hope as I’m coaching, I can accumulate the wins he had and the success he had.

Brady said

An injured Allen arrived in front of the media on crutches and took responsibility for McDermott’s departure.

If I make one more play, that game in Denver, we’re probably not having this press conference right now. We’re probably not making a change. In all honesty, we’re probably getting ready to play another game.

Josh Allen had said

In nine seasons, McDermott registered a 98-50 record. McDermott leaves Buffalo as the second-winningest coach in franchise history behind Marv Levy (112).

Sean McDermott still wants to coach in the NFL

Surprisingly, no team approached McDermott with a job. Right now, he’s a free agent. If a chance arises, he will gladly return to the gridiron.

I love coaching… I think [I miss] just being a part of something bigger, being a part of a team. I’ve been — we all have been — parts of teams since we were this tall, and you get a chance to do that for a job.

McDermott said on the Rich Eisen Show

According to FOX Sports, the Bills have +1000 odds to win the Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium.

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