The Buffalo Bills strengthened their secondary at the trade deadline when general manager Brandon Beane acquired safety Amani Hooker from the Tennessee Titans. Buffalo sent a 2027 second-round draft pick in exchange for Hooker and a 2027 fifth-round selection.

Hooker’s arrival gives Buffalo a big defensive weapon as it looks to strengthen its roster and compete for a Super Bowl. The Bills are on a four-game winning streak and hold a 7-1 record this season.

However, Hooker’s move has also sparked an unexpected conversation involving former head coach Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane, triggering reactions from many.

Sean McDermott’s Amani Hooker Remarks Raise Questions About Brandon Beane

Hooker ranks No. 2 in PFN Safety Impact Score with a 94.5 grade, outlining why Buffalo felt the need to swing a move at the deadline.

That is why when McDermott was asked for his opinion on Buffalo’s decision to bring in Hooker, he expressed strong support for the move.

“I’m all for it,” McDermott said in “The Rich Eisen Show” on Friday. “I’ve been all for it, you know. When your goal is to win a Super Bowl, ours was last year. Certainly, the Bills this year. But any team that feels like they got a legitimate shot to win the Super Bowl, then you’re tasked with the responsibility of identifying what could get in the way of you winning that Super Bowl.

“And then going out and finding those pieces, and so you saw Buffalo do that rather quickly at the start of this offseason, going to get the receiver, and then they did it again with some defensive pieces, and now going to get Hooker. I thought it was a really good move. And if you’re Joe Brady or Jim Leonhard in this case, I’m sure you’re extremely happy.”

Eisen then turned the discussion to the Jaguars pulling off three trades ahead of the deadline, and asked for McDermott’s thoughts on Jacksonville’s approach.

“It tells me they’re going all in, and it tells me they’ve had great collaboration and communication inside their building with the head coach and GM, which is critical, and maybe even involving ownership. Because when you do a move like this, a significant move like this, you’re probably gonna want ownership’s approval on what you wanna do and your vision for the next X amount of months for your football team this season.

“Because sometimes it does shortchange you, or you’re forced to compromise this move with some other moves later in terms of what it may mean for the future.”

Some fans interpreted his praise of Jacksonville’s approach as an indirect message about Beane.

“And here is exactly who McDermott is. Guy had 9 seasons of pressers, hundreds of them as a Bills coach. Conveniently never said he wasn’t getting the roster he wanted. Now that he’s not there, he wants you to think it wasn’t on him. Sure thing, Sean,” a Bills fan wrote.

“Sean absolutely hates Brandon lmao,” another said.

McDermott was fired as Buffalo’s head coach on Jan. 19, two days after the Bills watched the Denver Broncos beat them 33-30 in overtime. He was fired after another disappointing playoff exit, while Beane remained with the franchise and continues to lead its football operations.

McDermott’s latest comments have reopened the debate about how much responsibility the former head coach and general manager shared for Buffalo’s shortcomings.

“Wow. The subtext of these comments is glowing in neon lights. McDermott says everything about Brandon Beane without actually saying anything about him,” a fan remarked.

“Really professional way of saying ‘Beane didn’t give me these pieces and that would’ve made a difference,’” another fan added.

“He’s trying to tell us that it wasn’t him! All the Beane defenders out there saying McD was driving the roster decisions should listen to this. They won’t change their minds, of course, because really they just hate him over ’13 seconds,’ but read between the lines, people,” yet another person said.

McDermott had a 98-50 regular-season record in his nine seasons in Buffalo, and led the Bills to eight playoff appearances.