The New England Patriots have been the NFL’s standout franchise this century. Not only is the team the most successful, it also has been a model of stability, led by head coach and de-facto general manager Bill Belichick since the year 2000. The polar opposite: the Patriots’ AFC East rival from Buffalo.
The Bills are currently on their 10th head coach since the 2000 season and have also employed six general managers. Now, according to Adam Schefter, the team is in need of a new GM yet again:
Bills have fired their GM Doug Whaley.
Whaley has served as Buffalo’s general manager since 2013. During his four-year tenure, the team went 30-34 and failed to reach the playoffs each year. Whaley also hired three head coaches and lost restricted free agents - Chris Hogan and Mike Gillislee - to the Patriots in back-to-back offseasons.
Even though the timing seems odd - after all, the draft took place the last three days -, the Bills moving on from Whaley does not come as a surprise. He was expected to be let go as he has slowly been phased out of the organization ever since new head coach Sean McDermott entered the building. Whaley’s successor will therefore likely have close ties to McDermott, who used to work in Carolina before becoming the Bills’ head coach.