What does recent front-office shakeup mean for the Bills?
Nothing to see here.
That's the NFL's unofficial motto, trotted out whenever the league or a team would prefer that attention not be paid to a development that naturally creates interest.
In Buffalo, a major change happened on Wednesday. Long-time COO Ron Raccuia is out. And Terry Pegula is in, as the team president. And the organization surely would prefer that the media leave it at that.
Terry Pegula fills the job previously held by his wife, Kim, who suffered cardiac arrest in June 2022. Standing alone, then, the move isn't a surprise. Coupled with Raccuia's ouster, natural curiosity as to what actually happened will arise.
Raccuia ran the business operations of the team, and he had a central role in getting a stadium deal done. Is Terry Pegula not happy with the final outcome? Was there something else Raccuia did or failed to do? What exactly prompted a long-time employee to be so abruptly gone?
As explained by Tim O'Shei of the Buffalo News, it’s unclear why Raccuia is leaving. But these things don't happen spontaneously. And the absence of a stated reason makes it only more intriguing.
O'Shei also addresses the question of what it means for the football team. Writes O'Shei, "We don’t know, other than to say this: Pegula is the boss, and he can be as hands on – or not – as he pleases."
Terry Pegula's mere assumption of the title of president shows that he will be more hands on than he has been. Will he focus on the business side only, or will he start poking around on the football side, too?
Yes, coach Sean McDermott and G.M. Brandon Beane recently got contract extensions through 2026. Last year, the Cardinals gave coach Kliff Kingsbury and G.M. Steve Keim contract extensions through 2027. And they're both gone.
That doesn't mean McDermott or Beane are in any danger. Its also doesn't mean they aren't. Terry Pegula is now directly running the show. We'll find out what that means as it happens, along with the various people who are currently working for him. Or, in the case of Ron Raccuia, not working for him.
