While the Buffalo Bills rewarded Brandon Beane with a promotion, a Super Bowl-winning coach is questioning whether he was the architect of the very failures that cost Sean McDermott his job. This decision was another reason for the analysts to criticize the overall team dynamics. In light of the latest development, a former Super Bowl-winning NFL coach opened up on the team’s disappointing result, and the blame was placed on McDermott.

“That’s a relationship (Beane – Terry Bradshaw) that must be pretty strong because Sean McDermott is one hell of a coach, and it didn’t sound like there was a big power struggle going on,” Bruce Arians told Kay Adams on the Up and Adams show. “I personally didn’t think that this was the best Buffalo team that they’ve had in the last three or four years going into the playoffs.”

Earlier on The Pat McAfee Show, Arians did not hold back as he revisited the Bills’ decision to elevate Beane. While the retired coach credited Sean McDermott for a defense that largely held its own, he made it clear the offense told a very different story. Buffalo’s struggles on that side of the ball stood out sharply, especially when stacked against the team’s stronger seasons in previous years. That regression only deepened Arians’ confusion, as he openly questioned why Beane was rewarded with a promotion after a 2025 campaign.

Compared to 2024, the Bills didn’t look the same this year. Josh Allen’s raw numbers dipped as his touchdown production fell from 30 to 25, and interceptions climbed from six to ten. The passing game also lost its bite downfield, as Buffalo went from multiple explosive receivers last season to Khalil Shakir topping out at just 719 yards, down from his own 821-yard campaign a year earlier.

Defensively, the drop was even louder. In 2024, Buffalo forced 16 interceptions and piled up 39 sacks, thriving on pressure and takeaways. In 2025, that fell to 13 interceptions and 36 sacks, with no defender crossing the 100-tackle mark after Dorian Williams’ 117 in 2024. Even special teams reflected the slide, as Tyler Bass went from 24 made field goals last season to just 19 this year.

Bills also earned a playoff spot in 2023, and the roster back then was quite different from what it is today. They were led by Josh Allen at quarterback, with Stefon Diggs as the main wide receiver, James Cook at running back, and Dalton Kincaid at tight end. The defense, on the other hand, was led by Matt Milano and Tre’Davious White. With these many faces changing in just two years, Arians probably meant this when he spoke about this not being the best team in the last few years.

According to the Super Bowl-winning coach (Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021), Beane was promoted because he has great ties with the ownership led by Terry Bradshaw. 

While Allen was still the leader in 2025, Cook and Kincaid remain as key players, with Khalil Shakir replacing Diggs as the top wide receiver. The defense added star pass rusher Joey Bosa, who had disappointing results (5.0 sacks) along with injury struggles and inconsistent play, further pressing on the reason why firing McDermott wasn’t a wise one.

“I thought they were missing a dynamic outside threat to go along with Josh,” Arians added. “Defensively, Sean did a great job putting the pieces in there, but to me, their secondary couldn’t lock down anybody. To fire the coach after Buffalo forgot where they were eight years ago, it’s easy to fall right back there, especially with New England being back on top.”

Sean McDermott’s nine seasons with the Bills saw him transform the franchise by snapping a 17-year playoff drought and leading Buffalo to the postseason eight times, and reaching the AFC Championship Game twice (2020 and 2024). He finished with a 98–50 regular-season record and 8–8 in the playoffs, but never made a Super Bowl before his departure. However, despite that, the Divisional loss and the locker room emotions turned out to be a major factor in his firing.

Bills owner reveals whether Josh Allen will play a role in the hiring of a new head coach

The Buffalo Bills owner, Terry Pegula, recently addressed the speculative reasons behind Sean McDermott’s firing to state his own. He said that the moment that pushed him to fire head coach Sean McDermott came after the Bills’ playoff loss. He walked into the locker room and saw his franchise quarterback hurting. Pegula explained that watching Josh Allen sitting with his head down left a lasting impression. That scene made the loss feel bigger than just another early playoff exit.

“I looked around. First thing I noticed was our quarterback with his head down, crying,” Pegula said, in a press conference. “I dedicated Josh’s feelings to privacy. The starting quarterback will be part of the team to help select a new coach. He’s going to be working with us. And anything else, I want to keep that private. I don’t want this in Josh‘s head. This was my decision.”

Pegula also spoke about the criticism around the team’s wide receiver group. After the Bills traded away Stefon Diggs, many fans blamed general manager Brandon Beane for not bringing in a proven star receiver to help Josh Allen.

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Pegula turned down the claims and said the coaching staff played the biggest role in those decisions, including the decision to draft Keon Coleman in 2024. While a major share of the team’s disappointing finish lay on McDermott, analysts and former pros continue to debate these decisions.