On January 11, 2017, the Buffalo Bills named Sean McDermott the 20th head coach in franchise history. McDermott joined the Bills after spending six seasons as the defensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers.

In his first year in Buffalo, McDermott led the Bills to their first playoff berth since 1999 with a 9-7 record. He became the third coach in Bills history to earn a playoff berth in his first season at the helm, joining Joe Collier (1966) and Wade Phillips (1998).