Josh Allen still feels guilty about Sean McDermott's firing

The last of 10 head-coaching vacancies in the 2026 cycle arose when the Bills surprisingly fired Sean McDermott after a divisional-round overtime loss to the Broncos. Quarterback Josh Allen, who was heavily involved in the search for McDermott’s successor, still feels guilty about McDermott’s demise, seven months later.

“I think about that all the time,” Allen told Mike Silver of The Athletic. “There are certain plays throughout the game — and that’s going to be every game — where you’re like, ‘I could have done more.’ And I always feel like I can do more.”

Allen had four turnovers in the 33-30 loss at Denver.

If the Bills had returned to the AFC Championship and won, McDermott would still be there. Even if the Bills had lost in the AFC title game, advancing to the final four likely would have been enough to keep it from being McDermott’s final season.

The end result — a pink slip for McDermott and promotions for G.M. Brandon Beane and offensive coordinator Joe Brady — sends mixed signals to the Bills Mafia. And it puts even more pressure on Allen and the rest of the organization to finish the job of getting back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1993, and winning it for the first time ever.