Bills Legend Andre Reed Surprised By Sean McDermott Firing

The recent firing of Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott caught a ton of people by surprise.

Given the fact that the Bills achieved new heights under McDermott that they haven't seen since the early 90s, including five straight AFC East titles, it's easy to see why fans of every ilk were caught off guard by the announcement less than a month ago.

READ: Bills Owner Terry Pegula Massively Fails Explaining Firing Sean McDermott While Promoting Brandon Beane

One man who has an intimate knowledge of the Buffalo organization and was still shocked to see the news is none other than former Bills wide receiver Andre Reed.

The seven-time Pro Bowler sat down with OutKick's Jonathan Hutton and Chad Withrow on their Hot Mic show to discuss why he believes the Bills may have acted a little hastily.

"That guy brought the team out of the doldrums for a long time," Reed explained.

"Before he got there, the team was desolate."

Reed has a point. Before McDermott's arrival, the Bills had not won a division title since 1995, when players such as himself and Jim Kelly roamed the sidelines.

McDermott has nearly half of Buffalo's total AFC East division championships, and is also responsible for eight of their 21 playoff appearances since the AFL-NFL merger.

The guy is a great coach, no question about it, but I will say the same thing to Reed and Bills fans that I said to people who questioned the firing of James Franklin at Penn State.

Don't let good be the enemy of great.

2025 was supposed to be the year the Bills broke through with Josh Allen at the helm.

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, who have been thorns in the side of the Bills' organization throughout McDermott's tenure, were watching the playoffs at home with the rest of us this January.

Other prodigious passers like Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson were kept out of the postseason as well, meaning the path to the Super Bowl was crystal clear for Buffalo.

They fumbled a golden opportunity, and that has to start at the top.

Who knows, maybe the Bills will end up regretting the firing. Coaches with a .662 win percentage don't grow on trees.

But you also can't blame the Buffalo organization for wanting to take the next step.

Something had to change in Orchard Park for them to reach their potential, and there wasn't a chance in hell they were jettisoning their MVP quarterback at just 29 years old.

It's unfortunate for McDermott.

Change hurts, but it's part of growing, and now only time will tell who ends up getting the last laugh in this one.