The Buffalo Bills have extended the contracts of general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott, the team announced via their official social media pages on Friday. Both Beane and McDermott are now contracted to the Bills through the 2027 campaign. Retaining Beane and McDermott for the foreseeable future is a wise move for the Bills franchise.

Beane and McDermott both received appropriate compensation via their extensions. Most importantly, this also puts them in line contractually, linking their deals to the same year. That’s crucial to the continuity and shared vision the Bills will continue to achieve.

Beane and McDermott positioned the Bills for success by making an at-the-time unpopular decision. Drafting former Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen with the No. 7 overall selection in the 2018 NFL Draft was the make-or-break decision of the Beane-McDermott era. Safe to say, it’s gone swimmingly.

Beane has managed just one head coach since becoming the Bills’ general manager in 2017. McDermott has never coached for another decision-maker. Their relationship dates back to a six-year shared tenure with the Carolina Panthers when McDermott was the defensive coordinator (2011-16) and Beane was director of football operations (2011-14) and assistant general manager (2015-16). Buffalo has achieved what NFL franchises seek but ultimately fail to capture—a general manager and head coach that execute their assignments in complete lockstep. A franchise quarterback helps.

Beane and McDermott brought immediate, almost unprecedented (certainly forgotten) success to a Bills franchise that had experienced a nearly 20-year postseason drought. Buffalo made the playoffs for the first time since 1999 in McDermott and Beane’s debut campaign. Buffalo later won its first AFC East division title since 1995 during the 2020 season, a year which culminated with Buffalo advancing to the AFC Championship Game.

The Bills have compiled a record of 62-35 under the direction of Beane and McDermott. They’re vying for their fourth consecutive division title and fifth straight playoff appearance. It represents the organization’s most successful stretch since famously losing four consecutive Super Bowls in the early 90s (1990-93). McDermott currently owns the best win percentage (.639) in franchise history.

With their extensions now completed, Beane and McDermott must now usher the Bills to a Super Bowl.

For all their undeniable success, the Bills have been close, not close enough under the current leadership. Beane and McDermott have catapulted their Bills to perennial Super Bowl favorite status, but seasons have routinely ended in heartbreak. The Bills have lost in the divisional round in two consecutive campaigns, with last year’s 27-10 divisional-round home defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals qualifying as especially disappointing.

Extensions through 2027 indicate Beane and McDermott have secured Willy Wonka’s golden ticket, otherwise known in football as job security. Beane and McDermott have the gift of time to deliver a Super Bowl. But a few more disappointing divisional-round defeats could get a ruckus fanbase questioning if they’re capable of delivering a Lombardi.

The next order of business may include solving their Stefon Diggs issue. Buffalo’s superstar wide receiver was curiously absent from the team’s mandatory minicamp. Diggs is unhappy about something, and both Beane and McDermott are tasked with satisfying their premier playmaker.

Beane and McDermott have earned their multi-year extensions. Together, they’re now expected to capture a Super Bowl title. Time will tell if Buffalo’s leadership duo can deliver football’s most elusive trophy.