Bills Fan Starts Petition to Reinstate Sean McDermott as HC, How Many Signatures Does it Have?
Lifelong Buffalo Bills fan Maria Maisonet started a change.org petition in Jan. 19 to get her favorite team to reinstate recently fired head coach Sean McDermott, and her efforts have gained a ton of traction among fellow fans, with 62,395 people signing as of 8:50 p.m. ET on Friday evening.
“I’ve been a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan for over 40 years, and the recent decision to fire Sean McDermott has left me and countless others heartbroken and baffled,” Maisonet began. “Sean McDermott has not only been a strategic mastermind behind our team’s recent successes, but he has also been an inspiring leader with a deep commitment to the Buffalo community.”
The Bills dealt with a 17-year playoff drought prior to McDermott’s arrival in 2017, but that ended year one of his era when the team made the postseason on the very last day. Buffalo missed the playoffs the following year but then made it seven years in a row (including five straight AFC East titles from 2020-2024) with McDermott leading the way.
The biggest knock on McDermott is that his teams never could get over the AFC playoff hump and into the Super Bowl. The Bills got as far as the AFC Championship Game twice but fell short to the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2020 and 2024 seasons.
Still, McDermott was the Bills’ most successful coach since the legendary Marv Levy, who led Buffalo to four straight AFC titles from 1990-1993. Overall, McDermott went 98-50, with an 8-8 playoff record.
The Bills’ 2025 season ended with a heartbreaking 33-30 overtime loss to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Divisional Round.
Two days later, the Bills fired McDermott. And then on Wednesday, owner Terry Pegula and newly promoted president of football operations and general manager Brandon Beane sat in front of reporters and discussed the decision to part ways with McDermott.
In essence, Pegula said the team had “hit the proverbial playoff wall” and needed a change.
Of course, there are a lot of talking points here, starting with Beane, who arrived from the Carolina Panthers in May 2017. Of note, Beane was in Carolina while McDermott was the team’s defensive coordinator.
One is the fact that Beane and the front office have made numerous personnel decisions that simply haven’t worked out, and yet he got a promotion while McDermott was fired.
The second is the simple mathematical fact that McDermott made the playoffs in eight-of-nine seasons, turning around a team that hadn’t made the postseason in 17 years. The Bills have made the playoffs 21 times since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, and McDermott was head coach for nearly 40 percent of them in less than a decade.
It’s clear long-suffering Bills fans appreciated McDermott for the turnaround, and Maisonet expressed that sentiment in the petition, writing in part:
“Under McDermott’s leadership, the Bills have experienced a remarkable transformation. He revitalized the team’s performance and reignited the passion of the fans. Notably, he led the Buffalo Bills to the playoffs multiple times after a lengthy drought, bringing a renewed sense of hope and excitement to a community that lives and breathes football. His coaching style and strategic insight have been pivotal in shaping a competitive and spirited team that made us proud.
“Firing Sean McDermott seems like a step backward, negating all the progress we’ve made under his guidance. The decision appears to be short-sighted, overlooking his contributions and the respect he commands among players and fans alike. Statistics back his successful tenure, with a winning percentage among one of the best in recent history for the team.”
McDermott’s now former players have also wished McDermott very well upon the parting of ways, including safety Damar Hamlin and offensive tackle Dion Dawkins (among many others).
Ultimately, the decision was made, and the Bills are moving on. It’s clear fans are loudly stating his preference to have him back, though.
