Before extensions announced today, Bills coach Sean McDermott and G.M. Brandon Beane were under contract through 2025. The new contracts encompass two new years, putting them both under contract through 2027.
The contracts come as the Bills prepare to embark on a season with high expectations and increasing pressure, especially after last week’s strange incident involving receiver Stefon Diggs. The news will, for most, create the impression that McDermott and Beane are safe beyond 2023, no matter what happens this season.
It’s impossible to know how much actual security these new contracts provide without seeing their terms. Most importantly, are the two new years guaranteed? If not, it’s just window dressing.
Even if they are, there’s no guarantee that things won’t change dramatically if 2023 goes poorly. Last year, the Cardinals extended coach Kliff Kingsbury and G.M. Steve Keim through 2027. And, after 2022, both were gone.
Although it’s possible that these extensions were planned before last week’s situation with Diggs, the timing of the announcement creates the impression that the organization is trying to say “nothing to see here” regarding a potential hot-seat situation for coach and/or G.M. Regardless of whether a failed 2023 (e.g., no playoffs for the Bills) would truly trigger potentially big changes, it’s better for everyone if the season commences with a clear and obvious impression that nothing happening in 2023 will affect 2024.
Even if it eventually might.