The Buffalo Bills suffered a bitter loss to the Denver Broncos in their divisional-round playoff game on Saturday, then took another loss to their coaching staff.
On Sunday, the team announced that longtime offensive line coach Aaron Kromerwas retiring. Kromer had been a mainstay and helped put together one of the league’s top offensive lines, and his departure will force head coach Sean McDermott to make a major change to the coaching staff.
Bills Players Send Love to Aaron Kromer
Bills players reacted to Kromer’s retirement, sharing love for the coach who crafted one of the best units in the league. Guard O’Cyrus Torrence said that Kromer was a caring coach who got the best out of his players.
“He made football fun. I could definitely say that he taught me the game. He made me understand it,” Torrence said.
Torrence added that Kromer was a big part of his personal development.
“Coach Krom helped me improve the mental part of the game, just being able to go out there and lock into my job and understanding of what I’m doing and not letting what’s happening around me affect my play,” Torrence added.
The offensive line paved the way for running back James Cook’s league-leading rushing this season, with fullback Reggie Gilliam giving credit to Kromer for his approach.
“I liked how we really emphasized running the ball,” Gilliam said. “So without (Kromer), we wouldn’t be what we were this year, with the number one rushing leader or rushing offense.”
Though head coach Sean McDermott took some criticism as the team fell short of the Super Bowl again during the tenure of Josh Allen, Bills players had nothing but praise for the coaching staff.
Second-year safety Cole Bishop said McDermott and the entire coaching staff kept the team together through adversity this season, leading them to 12 wins and a seventh straight year with a playoff berth.
“Just a resilient group. We got a lot of guys that keep fighting to the end,” Bishop said. “Our coaches do a great job helping us understand what we’re doing, and they just put us in a good position.”
The Bills could be losing another coach, with offensive coordinator Joe Brady getting some head coaching interviews this weekend.
Bills May Have Been Ready for Coaching Change
As reporter Josh Reed noted, the Bills had some indications that Kromer was planning to retire prior to their overtime loss to the Broncos.
Reed added that the Bills could already have a replacement in mind, tapping Kromer’s assistant to take over.
“For a few weeks now, there’s been a belief that Bills OL coach Aaron Kromer is strongly considering retirement,” Reed reported. “He will be tough to replace. Austin Gund— his assistant— is very respected inside the room and would be a good fit.”
Bills players shared praise for Gund as well, who is set to take over in 2026.
“He’s been here since I’ve been here. He knows the offense. He knows how we block,” Torrence said of Gund.
Bills Lose Respected Coach One Day After Playoff Loss