One of the most stunning developments out of the Buffalo Bills’ camp emerged last week when owner Terry Pegula revealed he decided to fire head coach Sean McDermott in the locker room following the Divisional Round loss to the Denver Broncos. The revelation sent shockwaves through the sporting world, igniting debate among fans and pundits alike.
Days later, the team’s heiress and WTA World No. 6 Jessica Pegula weighed in with her candid take.
Jessica Pegula Shares Her Candid Take in the Wake of the Buffalo Bills Firing Sean McDermott
The Bills’ playoff run ended at the Divisional Round with a heartbreaking 33–30 loss to the Broncos, a game ultimately defined by a contentious overtime call. On Buffalo’s possession in the extra period, Josh Allen’s deep pass appeared to be secured by Brandin Cooks and ruled down by contact, but Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian wrestled the ball free and was awarded an interception, swinging the outcome decisively.
With overtime challenges prohibited, Sean McDermott was left to call a timeout, voicing his frustration that the play was not reviewed on the field despite being examined by league officials in New York.
Just days after the Bills were eliminated from the playoffs, Jessica Pegula’s billionaire father, Terry Pegula, stunned the NFL world by revealing that he had fired Sean McDermott. In an interview with ESPN, the 74-year-old explained that the decision was driven by the loss to the Broncos, which he felt exposed a recurring postseason ‘wall’ the team had failed to break through under McDermott’s leadership.
Like much of the sporting world, Jessica Pegula was taken aback by the stunning development and recently addressed it on the Player’s Box Podcast. The WTA star recounted an awkward moment that captured her initial reaction to the news, though she stopped short of elaborating.
“And also other news, the Bills, unfortunately, have been quite in the news. We lost against Denver. There’s a lot of controversy with the final catch on the final drive and then we ended up firing our coach a couple of days later. It was pretty funny actually the other day before my match and then my dad and the GM had a press conference, and it was on ESPN,” she said.
“So I was in the physio room and ESPN is on and JP my physio, was like is that your dad? And I was like oh god (laughs). And it was the press conference. But yeah, people are kind of losing their minds, so I don’t really know what else to say. I guess it’ll be interesting. Obviously I can’t really divulge too much,” she said.
Later, during the conversation, Pegula credited McDermott for transforming the Bills, ending a 17-year playoff drought, and reshaping the team’s culture during his nine-year tenure.
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“I mean, yeah, it’s a lot. It seems very dramatic. I think it’s kind of, I don’t know, the end-of-the-year season. I don’t think there’s a lot of news. You know, there’s only a few teams left, and everyone’s kind of running with a lot of different stories from what I’ve seen. But thanks to Sean, I think we had an amazing, I think it was nine years. He took us from a 17-year playoff drought, kind of shifted the whole team and the culture,” she said.
“So it’s kind of sad, it’s the end of an era. But we’ll see, I guess there’s still people being interviewed, and it’s going to be a little bit before we have a new head coach, but a lot of drama there,” Pegula added.
Soon after Sean McDermott’s exit, the Bills confirmed Joe Brady as their new head coach. Brady, who joined the franchise in 2022, has steadily risen through the ranks, from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator and now the head coach.