Buffalo Bills head coach Doug Marrone opts out of contract

The Buffalo Bills have added their name to the list of teams in need of a head coach, as Doug Marrone has opted out and left the franchise.

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In a shocking move that some may have saw coming, the Buffalo Bills have lost head coach Doug Marrone, who has opted out of his contract with the team and made himself a free agent. The news comes just days after the Bills season ended with a victory over the New England Patriots but prior to new management stepping in along with new ownership.

According to Chris Mortensen and Adam Shefter from ESPN, the Bills were informed by Marrone that he was opted out of his contract and will no longer be the head coach of the team.

Doug Marrone has opted out of his contract as the Buffalo Bills coach and is now a free agent to pursue other jobs, per @mortreport and me.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 31, 2014

This was a move that some thought might happen but no one knew for sure would indeed come to pass. Marrone had an opt-out clause in his contract that allowed him to leave the team if the franchise was sold to new ownership.

That’s exactly what happened this past year as the Wilson family sold the Buffalo Bills, leaving Marrone in limbo about his job. Rather than sit around and wait to hear if he was fired or not, Marrone took matters into his own hands and has left the team.

Buffalo has a slew of options now, as they can either promote a head coach from within — like defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz — or look outside the organization at candidates like Josh McDaniels, Adam Gase or Rex Ryan.

If the Bills want to boost their offense, their best bet may be to keep Jim Schwartz as defensive coordinator and bring in an offensive minded coach like McDaniels, Kyle Shanahan or Gase.

Either way, the Bills will need a new head coach in 2015 as Doug Marrone has taken his fate into his own hands and opted out of his deal. This marks the second time this offseason that a head coach and a franchise have parted ways without a technical firing, as the San Francisco 49ers and Jim Harbaugh separated in a similar fashion.

As for Marrone, he may kick around the NFL but could very well return to college and fill one of the various big program positions that may become available soon.

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