Sean McDermott Net Worth

What is Sean McDermott's Net Worth and Salary?

Sean McDermott is a football coach who has a net worth of $20 million.

McDermott rose through the coaching ranks as a defensive specialist, spending years under Andy Reid in Philadelphia and earning a reputation for preparation, discipline, and leadership. He became an NFL head coach in 2017 when the Buffalo Bills hired him to stabilize a franchise that had been mired in decades of inconsistency. What followed was one of the most dramatic organizational turnarounds in modern league history.

Over nine seasons in Buffalo, McDermott transformed the Bills from a perennial afterthought into a model of stability. He led the team to nine playoff appearances, including eight postseason berths in his final eight seasons, and compiled a 98–50 record. Since his first year in 2017, only the Kansas City Chiefs won more games than the Bills. Under McDermott, Buffalo reached two AFC Championship Games and established a defensive identity built on accountability, structure, and adaptability.

Perhaps his most significant achievement was overseeing the development of Josh Allen from a raw, erratic prospect into an MVP quarterback and franchise cornerstone. McDermott helped create an environment where Allen could grow, while also attracting players who bought into the team's culture and long-term vision.

Despite the success, Buffalo never reached the Super Bowl. A series of narrow playoff losses and repeated near-misses ultimately defined McDermott's tenure as much as his wins. With Allen entering his 30s and championship urgency intensifying, the Bills chose to move in a new direction, parting ways with McDermott after the 2025 postseason.

Salary

Sean McDermott's peak annual salary with the Bills was $8 million. McDermott had signed a contract extension that ran through the 2027 season, leaving two years remaining on the deal when the team moved on after the 2025 postseason.

Unless the Bills negotiated a reduced buyout, the organization remains on the hook for roughly $16 million in guaranteed salary. As is common with NFL coaching contracts, some or all of that obligation could be offset if McDermott accepts another head coaching or senior defensive role elsewhere, with his new employer potentially assuming part of the remaining financial burden.

Early Life and Education

Sean McDermott was born on March 21, 1974, in Omaha, Nebraska, and was raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a teenager, he went to North Penn High School before transferring to La Salle College High School. At the latter school, McDermott was named All-Southeastern Pennsylvania as a defensive back on the football team in 1992. Additionally, he was a national prep champion wrestler in high school. McDermott went on to attend the College of William & Mary, where he was a safety on the Tribe football team. He graduated in 1997 with a degree in finance.

Assistant Coaching

In 1999, McDermott joined the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles as a scouting administrative coordinator, a position he held until he was promoted to the coaching staff in 2001. The year after that, he became the defensive quality control coach, and after that, became assistant defensive backs coach. In 2005, the Eagles played in Super Bowl XXXIX, but lost to the New England Patriots. McDermott went on to serve as the defensive backs coach and then as the linebackers coach. In 2009, he was named the interim defensive coordinator while Jim Johnson was on medical leave; not long after that, due to the decline of Johnson, he was named the full-time defensive coordinator. McDermott continued in the role until early 2011, when he was fired by the Eagles after 12 years with the team.

A couple of days after leaving the Eagles, McDermott was hired as the defensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers. During his tenure with the team through 2016, he helped lead the Panthers to top-ten finishes in overall defense from 2012 to 2015. Moreover, in the 2015 season, he helped guide the team to Super Bowl 50 against the Denver Broncos. Although the Panthers defense gave up only one offensive touchdown in the game, the Broncos ended up winning 24-10.

First Years with the Buffalo Bills, 2017-2019

In early 2017, McDermott became the new head coach of the Buffalo Bills. He went on to win his NFL head coaching debut in the season opener, with a 21-12 victory over the New York Jets. Although he and the Bills recorded a loss in Week 2, they rebounded to win four of the next five games. Finishing the regular season with a 9-7 record, the team secured its first playoff appearance in 18 years, ending the longest active playoff drought in North American professional sports. Ultimately, the Bills fell to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Wild Card Round. The next season was less remarkable, as the Bills posted a 6-10 record and missed the playoffs. McDermott turned things around in 2019 to lead the Bills to a 10-6 record and another appearance in the Wild Card Round, which they lost this time to the Houston Texans.

(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Buffalo Bills, 2020-2026 Firing

Sean McDermott entered the peak years of his Buffalo tenure in 2020, guiding the team to a 13–3 record and its first AFC East division title in 25 years. The Bills followed that breakthrough with their first playoff win since the mid-1990s, defeating the Indianapolis Colts in the Wild Card round, then shutting down the Baltimore Ravens 17–3 to reach the franchise's first AFC Championship Game in 27 years. Buffalo's season ended there with a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, but the year marked the Bills' arrival as a legitimate conference power.

The momentum continued in 2021, when McDermott led the Bills to an 11–6 record and a second straight AFC East crown. That postseason became defined by one of the most dramatic games in NFL history, a Divisional Round shootout against the Chiefs in which Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes traded late touchdowns. Despite scoring twice in the final two minutes of regulation, Buffalo fell 42–36 in overtime, a loss that deepened the sense of near-miss frustration surrounding the team.

In 2022, the Bills again went 13–3, securing a third consecutive division title. They defeated the Miami Dolphins in the Wild Card round before losing to the Cincinnati Bengals in the Divisional Round. Following the season, McDermott assumed defensive play-calling duties after Leslie Frazier stepped away and signed a contract extension through the 2027 season.

From 2023 through 2025, Buffalo remained a consistent playoff team but continued to fall short of a Super Bowl appearance, often by narrow margins. After a divisional-round loss to the Denver Broncos following the 2025 season, the Bills made a franchise-altering decision and fired McDermott in early 2026. The move ended a nine-year run defined by stability, winning seasons, and repeated postseason heartbreak.

9/11 Comments

In late 2023, an article by journalist Tyler Dunne revealed criticisms from Bills players about McDermott. Of particular note was a comment he made during a team meeting in 2019 when he reportedly told his team that they needed to work together "like the terrorists on 9/11." The published comment drew widespread criticism across the media, with some questioning McDermott's leadership integrity and calling for his termination. When reached for a response, McDermott said that he regretted the comment and apologized to the team.

Personal Life

McDermott is married to his high school sweetheart, Jamie, with whom he also attended college. Together, they have a son and a daughter and reside in Orchard Park, New York.

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