Bills GM Beane backs job done by McDermott
Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane on Tuesday backed the job coach Sean McDermott did in the face of criticism and a midseason slump, while dismissing the notion the team has plateaued after being eliminated in the divisional playoff round for a third consecutive season.
At the same time, Beane raised a red flag in assessing challenges he faces rebuilding a roster that features 22 pending unrestricted free agents — nine of them regulars — while being handcuffed by salary-cap restraints.
“I’m going to have to be creative with the cap, and I don’t think I need to say it, but I don’t think you’re going to see any splashes,” Beane said during an end-of-season news conference two days after a 27-24 loss to the Chiefs.
“Even if I found something that was exciting to me, I don’t think it would fit within our parameters,” said Beane, whose team is projected to need to clear more than $40 million in payroll before the signing period opens in March. “We’ll work around it. We’re not planning to take a year off and just not be competitive.”
The Bills are coming off a 12-7 finish in which they overcame a rash of defensive injuries and the midseason firing of their offensive coordinator by closing with five straight wins to claim their fourth straight AFC East title.
After a playoff-opening 31-17 win over the Steelers, Buffalo’s loss to Kansas City reemphasized questions over the team’s shortcomings. During the Bills five-year playoff run, they’ve been eliminated by the Chiefs three times.
“I don’t subscribe to the window as closing or it’s closed,” Beane said. “While we’re extremely disappointed, nobody’s more disappointed than me, I’m also not going to just throw the whole season out and say, ‘Let’s tear this thing up and start over.’ ”
He then credited McDermott for how the Bills remained competitive, with their seven losses decided by 6 points or fewer.
“Those come down to a play here or there. And there wasn’t anything in those games where you’re going, ‘He really botched this or botched that,’ ” Beane said.
Completing his seventh season in Buffalo, McDermott spoke earlier in the day and said the loss to the Chiefs further motivates him to do better.
“I can promise you, that fire burns within me as bright as it did the year before, if not more,” McDermott said. “We’re disappointed but not broken.”
Eagles fire Johnson
The Eagles fired offensive coordinator Brian Johnson, a person familiar with the decision told the AP.
Johnson joins ousted defensive coordinator Sean Desai as coach Nick Sirianni continues to reshape his staff following a season-ending collapse. The Eagles went from starting 10-1 to finishing 11-6 and losing, 32-9, to the Buccaneers in the wild-card round.
Johnson joined the Eagles as quarterbacks coach in 2021 and was promoted to offensive coordinator after Shane Steichen left to take the head job in Indianapolis. Johnson has interviewed with the Falcons and Titans for their head coaching openings.
Bears hire Waldron
The Bears hired Shane Waldron as their offensive coordinator, hoping he can get the most out of Justin Fields or a new quarterback if they draft one with the No. 1 overall pick.
Waldron joins coach Matt Eberflus’s staff after spending the past three seasons as offensive coordinator under Pete Carroll in Seattle. Waldron replaces Luke Getsy, who was fired after two years.
Telesco Raiders’ GM
The Raiders hired Tom Telesco as their next GM, passing over interim Champ Kelly for the position. Telesco, 51, comes from the AFC West rival Chargers, where he was the GM since 2013. The Chargers fired Telesco and coach Brandon Staley on Dec. 15, a day after the Chargers lost, 63-21, at Las Vegas . . . Last weekend’s four divisional-round playoff games averaged 40.0 million viewers on television and digital platforms, the highest on record dating to 1988. The viewer average is a 7 percent increase over last year and a 5 percent jump from two years ago. Sunday night’s game between the Chiefs and Bills on CBS averaged a divisional-round record 50.39 million viewers, according to Nielsen . . . Panthers owner David Tepper is continuing to shake up the organization. Vice president of football administration Samir Suleiman is no longer with the team, meaning the Panthers will be looking for someone to manage the salary cap and contract negotiations moving forward. The move came one day after the team promoted Dan Morgan to president of football operations and general manager . . . Referee Bill Vinovich will lead the officiating crew for the Super Bowl next month in Las Vegas. The NFL announced that Vinovich will work his third Super Bowl and be joined by a crew that includes umpire Terry Killens, who will become the first person to both play in and officiate a Super Bowl. Killens made one tackle on special teams for the Titans against the Rams on Jan. 30, 2000.