Ousted Buffalo Bills Coach Sean McDermott Buys $5 Million Home In North Carolina—Months After He Was Fired by New York Team

Former Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott already appears to have put his nine-year stint with the NFL team behind him—after purchasing a $5 million dwelling in North Carolina, just a stone's throw from the home of his former team, the Carolina Panthers.

McDermott, 52, spent five years as the defensive coordinator for the Charlotte-based team, before being hired by the Bills as the team's head coach in January 2017. However, in January of this year, the Buffalo team announced that it had axed McDermott, just days after the team experienced a devastating loss against the Denver Broncos.

Bills owner Terry Pegula later revealed that the firing was, in large part due to quarterback Josh Allen's reaction to losing the game, according to ESPN.

“My decision to bring in a new coach was based on the results of our game in Denver," Pegula said. "I want to take you in the locker room after that game. I looked around, the first thing I noticed was our quarterback with his head down, crying. I looked at all the other players. I looked at their faces and our coaches. I walked over to Josh, he didn’t even acknowledge I was there."

McDermott later issued a statement of thanks to the team—and the community of Buffalo for being so kind to him and his family for so many years, saying: "This community graciously embraced not only me but my family and in some ways helped raise our children over the last nine years."

At the time, he hinted at his plans to move on, adding: "We will miss Buffalo."

As yet, McDermott has not revealed his next career move—however his latest real estate purchase may give some insight into where he's hoping to end up.

The former Bills coach has snapped up a five-bedroom, 5.5-bathroom abode in the upscale neighborhood of Foxcroft, as first reported by the Charlotte Business Journal.

In a previous listing, the 6,000-square-foot dwelling was described as an "incredible home," complete with a "timeless" design and "endless" natural light.

Among the more impressive amenities and living spaces found in the home are a walk-in pantry, a "gourmet" kitchen, with ample room for entertaining, an enormous great room with a fireplace, and a primary suite that boasts its own spa-inspired ensuite bathroom.

The property is located on just over 0.6 acres of land and features an array of outdoor offerings, including a private pool, a spa, and an exterior fireplace.

Having originally been built more than 10 years ago, the dwelling underwent signifiant renovations in 2021, the listing description noted.

The sale of the home closed on April 15, with a final price of $5.1 million—having initially been listed for the lower price of $4.95 million in January, just a few days before McDermott's firing was announced.

However, the NFL coach has not cut ties with Buffalo altogether, at least not just yet.

Records show that he and his wife, Jamie, who share three children together, still own their sprawling abode in Orchard Park, the same luxurious neighborhood where Allen and several other Bills players live during the NFL season.

McDermott and his spouse purchased that property in May 2017, just a few months after his role with the Bills was confirmed—and just a few weeks before the team started their pre-season training camp for that year.

The couple paid $1.1 million for the six-bedroom dwelling, which is now worth an estimated $1.5 million, according to Realtor.com estimates.

Offering more than 6,200 square feet of living space, the property is located just a 12-minute drive from the Bills' Highmark Stadium.

McDermott and his family originally moved to the upstate New York area after he secured his role with the team—having previously spent five years residing in Charlotte, here he served as the Panthers' defensive coordinator, helping the squad to reach the Super Bowl in February 2016, when they lost to the Broncos.

Prior to his job with the Panthers, the coach spent more than 10 years with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he began his professional career as the team's scouting administrative coordinator in 1999, before being promoted to the coaching staff in 2001.

He took over as the Eagles' defensive coordinator in 2009, but was let go from the team in 2011.

Following his departure from the Bills at the start of this year, McDermott revealed that he planned to take the 2026 season off from coaching, stating during an appearance on "The Insiders" podcast in April that he wanted to "process through" his time spent with the Buffalo team.

"Well, I think that's part of this offseason and then the season, too, is to take the year and really process through things," he said, according to NFL.com. "Number one, how can we build on the success that we had in Buffalo? Because you don't want to just make a knee-jerk reaction and say, well it didn't work. Well, it did work—we were very successful.

"When you look at it, coming in, breaking a 17-year playoff drought and then changing the culture, and then eight of the nine years in the playoffs. And I firmly believe the Bills are in a really good spot."

He added that he wanted to engage in conversations with "different leaders," both in the sports industry and beyond in order to improve his skills as a coach and as a leader.

McDermott noted that, while he fully plans to return to the NFL and football in some capacity, he will only do so with the support of his family, explaining that they were making decisions about his future as a unit.

"When you think about working and being in this business—so competitive, margins are so small—and you're like, 'Hey, I wonder what it would be like one day to be that guy?'" he said. "And then, all of the sudden, you're that guy and you're like, OK, this is real.

"But such is life, right? You kind of go through some of the normal gamut of emotions and you turn the corner and you're like, 'Hey, you know what? This is pretty good.' It's a pretty good opportunity for me, for us as a family, and let's capitalize on it. That's where we're at as a family right now."