The defending AFC East champion Buffalo Bills made some news on Friday morning by securing the future of their current brain trust.
It has been a somewhat-unsettling offseason for a team that has won three straight division titles and has appeared in the playoffs five of the past six seasons.
The 2022 NFL campaign ended with a thud for the Buffalo Bills. The team finished the regular season with a 13-3 record and escaped the division-rival Miami Dolphins the wild card round. A week later, Sean McDermott's club was humbled at home by the Cincinnati Bengals, 27-10, in the divisional round. It was the kind of loss that left such a bad taste in their mouths that not even a plateful of wings at the Harbor Bar could erase.
It was another busy offseason for general manager Brandon Beane in terms of free agency. Earlier this month, there was some noise regarding the tandem of Pro Bowl quarterback Josh Allen and talented wide receiver Stefon Diggs that has since subsided.
On Friday, the organization made some real news that was free of speculation.
McDermott took over as head coach in 2017 and Beane was hired later that the same year in May just a few weeks after the draft. The former owns a 62-35 regular-season record with the franchise, to go along with a 4-5 postseason mark.
Beane has done a solid job providing the organization with talent since his arrival. His first draft move came in 2018, when he dealt up to the seventh spot and grabbed Allen. The duo's relationship predates Buffalo and goes back to when both worked with the Carolina Panthers.
It's important to remember than before McDermott's arrival, the team went 17 consecutive years from 2000-16 without a playoff appearance. That's why patience is being exercised by the club despite some postseason failures.
This season will mark the 30th anniversary of the Bills' last Super Bowl appearance. Could this be the year they circle the wagons and finally get back to the "Big Game?"
