Bills GM, coach get extensions

The Buffalo Bills locked up their brain trust tandem of general manager Brandon Beane and coach Sean McDermott through the 2027 NFL season after signing the duo to two-year contract extensions Friday. The timing of the deals represents a reward while also emphasizing the longterm faith of co-owner Terry Pegula in the pair, who are now on their third respective contracts with the team since signing extensions in 2020. Beane, 46, and McDermott, 49, have transformed what had been a floundering franchise upon their arrival in 2017 into a consistent playoff contender. In that time, the Bills went from enduring a 17-year playoff drought, which was the longest active streak in North America’s four professional major sports, to qualifying for the postseason in five of the past six years. The run of success began with the team ending the drought in 2017, and now includes a four-year playoff run in which the Bills are three-time defending AFC East champions. McDermott, who was hired in January 2017 following Rex Ryan’s dismissal, is credited with instilling a winning culture built around a trusted group of leaders headed by the safety tandem of Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer.

He was also praised for helping navigate the team through a series of adversity. The Bills finished second in the AFC at 13-3 in a season where safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and was resuscitated on the field during a game at Cincinnati Jan. 2. There also were two schedule disruptions because of snowstorms. With a 62-35 record, McDermott ranks third on the franchise regular-season win list behind

Marv Levy (123) and Lou Saban (70).