The Buffalo Bills have begun an open search for a new head coach, a process owner Terry Pegula and general manager Brandon Beane believe is central to finally delivering a Super Bowl to the city.

Beane said the search is already underway and will be collaborative, involving Pegula, team executives, assistant general managers and, notably, quarterback Josh Allen.

“We have to get it over the top, and that starts with finding the right head coach,” Beane said of the ongoing wait for Lombardi glory. “It’s 100 percent an open search. We’re still sorting through the names. We’re vetting names. There is no front runner: [they could be] old, young, former coach, first-time coach.”

Pegula confirmed Allen would have a role in the selection process, but emphasised boundaries.

“The starting quarterback will be part of the team to help select a new coach. He’s going to be working with us,” Pegula told journalists at Wednesday’s press conference. “Anything else, his feelings, I want to keep that private … This was my decision … his personal opinion, I keep personal.”

That decision was the dismissal of Sean McDermott, which Pegula said stemmed from years of postseason heartbreak culminating in Buffalo’s overtime loss to Denver in the AFC Divisional round at the weekend. Pegula described the tipping point as walking into the locker room after the loss and seeing Allen overcome with emotion.

“The first thing I noticed was our quarterback with his head down, crying,” Pegula said. “He had given everything he had to try to win that game and, looking around, so did all the other players on the team. I felt like we hit the proverbial playoff wall year after year — ‘13 seconds’, missed field goals, the ‘catch’ today…”

While acknowledging McDermott’s success, Pegula said he no longer believed the team could break through under his leadership.

“It’s been one year after another, and there was the sense of, ‘How do we overcome this?’,” Pegula explained. “I just couldn’t see us doing that with Sean, and that’s why I relieved him [of his position]. It wasn’t an easy decision, [but] I made the decision, and it is my decision.”

Beane confirmed that no-one was consulted about the call, removing suggestions that player unrest may have played a part.

“Terry’s decision came on Monday, or that’s when we were informed of his decision,” the GM said. “The players had already left.”

Despite the move, both Pegula and Beane praised McDermott’s nine-year tenure with the Bills, which included ending a 17-year playoff drought and providing sustained regular season success.

“Sean has definitely left the Buffalo Bills in a better place than when he arrived in 2017,” Pegula insisted. “He gave his heart and soul to trying to win a championship. I don’t think he’s done coaching in this league, and I wish him the best.”

Beane echoed that sentiment while accepting shared responsibility for falling short of a Super Bowl.

“I bear guilt, blame, responsibility. There’s no finger pointing,” he said. “Any issues we have, put it on my shoulders. I own it all.”

As the search moves forward, Beane said leadership matters as much as scheme.

“This is a bigger job than just being a play caller and a schemer,” he said. “It’s a CEO job, it really is.”