Although it was tough for Sean McDermott to end another Bills season without reaching the Super Bowl, he remains confident that future opportunities are ahead for Buffalo.
Having an elite quarterback like Josh Allen is a big plus, and knowing the Bills made it to the AFC Championship game — a 32-29 loss to Kansas City on Sunday — with a younger, retooled roster makes McDermott even more optimistic. The team gained valuable experience this season, winning 13 regular-season games and claiming its fifth straight division title.
McDermott’s confidence comes from the consistent success he and general manager Brandon Beane have built, as the team has reached the playoffs seven times in eight years, including five straight years in the divisional round.
“I’m confident in who we are,” McDermott said at his end-of-season press conference, acknowledging the team’s failure to turn regular-season success into a Super Bowl appearance.
“I’d rather be in the position we’re in, where we’re continually knocking on the door,” he added. “If you keep doing the right thing, eventually that door will open.”
Don’t mistake McDermott’s optimism for being satisfied with where the team stands.
“No one in this building, myself included, is comfortable or content with where we’re at,” he said. “What’s left is to go win a world championship, which is a lofty goal, but one that we pursue relentlessly.”
The Bills became the first team in NFL history to win 11 or more games for five straight seasons without reaching the Super Bowl. They have been eliminated four times by Kansas City, including twice in the AFC Championship game, and lost to Cincinnati in the 2022 divisional round.
Beane believes the Bills are well-positioned to challenge the Chiefs.
“Give them credit. The entire league is chasing them. And we’re right there. I don’t know what else you expect to do other than if you think we should blow the roster up or strip it down,” said Beane.
“That is not how I see this. This is not a team that’s got a bunch of 33-year-olds, 34-year-olds that you just need to reset,” he continued. “And when you look holistically at what we’ve done year after year after year, I think a lot of people would sign up for that.”
Buffalo is in a better position going into this offseason than it was last year, when salary cap issues forced the team to part with six of eight team captains.
Depending on where the NFL sets the salary cap for the 2025 season, the Bills are projected to be slightly over the cap but with a more manageable number.
Beane doesn’t expect to spend much in free agency, as he needs to save money to re-sign several players, including receiver Khalil Shakir, running back James Cook, and linebacker Terrel Bernard, who are all due for contract extensions after this season.
Cutting veteran edge rusher Von Miller is an option to free up more than $8 million in cap space. Beane hasn’t ruled out finding a way to keep the soon-to-be 36-year-old, crediting Miller for taking a major pay cut by restructuring his contract last year.
Beane and McDermott spent over an hour each discussing various team matters.
