ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Difficult as it was for Sean McDermott to wrap up yet another Bills' season ending short of a Super Bowl berth, there was nothing on Thursday dissuading Buffalo’s coach from believing more opportunities lay ahead.
Having an elite quarterback in Josh Allen helps. So does knowing the Bills reached the AFC championship game — a 32-29 loss to Kansas City on Sunday — with a younger, retooled roster that gained valuable experience in a year Buffalo overcame lowered expectations by winning 13 regular-season games and its fifth straight division title.
And McDermott’s confidence comes from the track record of sustained success he and general manager Brandon Beane have established on a team that’s reached the playoffs seven times in eight years, and reached the divisional round in each of the past five years.
“I’m confident in who we are,” McDermott said during his end of season news conference, addressing the Bills' inability to translate regular-season success into reaching the Super Bowl.
“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 misinterpret McDermott’s optimism for contentment.
“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 NFL’s first team to win 11 or more games over five consecutive seasons and not reach the Super Bowl. They’ve been eliminated four times by Kansas City, including twice in the conference title game, plus a loss to Cincinnati in the 2022 divisional round.
Beane called the Bills 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,” the general manager said.
“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 added. “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 better positioned entering this offseason as compared to a year ago when salary cap constraints led to the team parting with six of eight team captains.
Depending on where the NFL sets its cap for the 2025 season, the Bills are still projected to be modestly over the limit but with a more workable number.
Beane doesn’t expect to be a big spender in free agency in part because he needs to reserve payroll to re-sign several players — receiver Khalil Shakir, running back James Cook and linebacker Terrel Bernard — due contract extensions after this season.
Cutting veteran edge rusher Von Miller is an option that would free up more than $8 million in cap space. Beane didn’t rule out finding a creative way to retain the soon-to-be 36 year old in crediting the player for taking a major pay cut by restructuring his contract a year ago.
In speaking separately for more than one hour apiece, Beane and McDermott addressed numerous issues.
— Beane was disappointed in tight end Dalton Kincaid’s drop in production in his second season, but didn’t fault the player for having Allen’s fourth down pass attempt fall through his hands in the final minutes against the Chiefs.
“Dalton should not feel bad about that. That’s not the reason we lost the game. He’s been a big part of our success,” Beane said.
— Linebacker Matt Milano is expected to return after injuries forced him to miss much of the past two seasons.
“I wouldn’t say I’m worried about him breaking down,” Beane said, of the eighth-year player, who broke his right leg in 2023 and tore his left biceps in August. “We’ll continue to look at how to armor him, like we do every player. We’ll have an individualized plan for him when he comes back.”
— Beane credited the play of safety Damar Hamlin by calling his “one of the greatest stories ever.” Hamlin started 17 games, including playoffs, two seasons after he went into cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated on the field during a game at Cincinnati in January 2023.
Beane said, “the business part will handle that,” referring to Hamlin’s expiring contract, while adding: “But I would just say I’m super proud of him. There’s no bigger fan than me of Damar Hamlin.”
— McDermott said special team coordinator Matthew Smiley will be retained despite several miscues, including opponents twice converting fake punts this season.
“I know there are plays that have come up and I know he doesn’t feel great about them, nor do I,” McDermott said. “I’m confident that Coach Smiley is going to learn from those situations.”
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
John Wawrow, The Associated Press
