Online petition to reinstate Sean McDermott has 60,000 signatures, and counting

Mike Florio ,

Facebook

In 25 years of doing this, I thought I’d seen everything.

Here’s a new one. An online petition has emerged to reinstate Bills coach Sean McDermott. The petition, posted at Change.org, has more than 60,000 signatures , and counting.

Obviously, no number of signatures will put the toothpaste back in the tube. McDermott is out, and the Bills are moving on in their search for a new coach.

But the mere existence of the petition highlights how poorly the Bills have handled the situation. The decision to simultaneously announce the firing of McDermott and the promotion of G.M. Brandon Beane rubbed many the wrong way. (They could have, and should have, waited to promote Beane until a later date, perhaps after the 2026 draft.) Also, Wednesday’s press conference, which owner Terry Pegula and Beane surely believed would make things better, served only to make things worse.

The end result will be not a return of McDermott but even more pressure on the next Bills coach to instantly do as well as McDermott, at a bare minimum. It also puts more pressure on quarterback Josh Allen to justify the decision made by the guy who signs the checks.

And so, as the Bills continue to conduct interviews for their next head coach, the numbers on the petition will keep going up. And up. And up. Which will only make the entire situation more challenging for all executives, coaches, and players in 2026 — and beyond.

Big Shield combines gambling, pro football, and the mob into a cautionary tale regarding inside information, and the dangers that come from selling it.

Football is back and so are Mike Florio and Chris Simms! Watch PFT Live for the latest news coming out of the regular season, postseason and offseason every Monday to Friday at 7 a.m. ET on Peacock and the NBC Sports NOW channel.

Read More