The Buffalo Bills sent shockwaves through the NFL early Monday morning by firing head coach Sean McDermott after nine seasons. Not long after the news broke, several current Bills players took to social media to voice their reactions to the surprising decision.
Defensive tackle Jordan Phillips shared the announcement on his Instagram story, expressing his frustration with the move. “This shit here is so stupid honestly sickening. The best coach I’ve ever been around,” Phillips wrote.
Defensive lineman DaQuan Jones echoed a similar sentiment, also posting the news to his Instagram story with the message, “don’t make sense but ya got what ya wanted.”
Members of the secondary joined the conversation as well. Taron Johnson responded simply with “smh” on his Instagram story, while Damar Hamlin offered a more heartfelt message on his X account, writing, “A True Leader Of Men. Thank You For Everything! On & Beyond The Field. We Love You Coach.”
Offensive lineman Dion Dawkins, who has been with the Bills since being drafted in 2017, also shared a heartfelt message on his X account, writing “True leader amongst a world full of alphas’s, Honored and Truly Best to learn under our Time. McDeezzyyyy You Are Truly One Of them Ones. Until The Grass Meets us Again.”
Safety Jordan Poyer shared a post on his Instagram story, writing “Forever grateful for Sean, for reasons that go far beyond the game. The world needs more men like him.”
McDermott, 51, departs Buffalo as the winningest head coach in franchise history, finishing with a 98-50 regular-season record and an 8-8 mark in the postseason. His tenure included two AFC Championship Game appearances, both losses to the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2020 and 2024 seasons. McDermott also guided the Bills to five consecutive AFC East titles from 2020 to 2024. This season, Buffalo finished 12-5, placing second in the division behind the New England Patriots.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.
