Greg Roman's final act with Bills was to pose for team picture

ByAdam Schefter ESPN logo
Sunday, September 18, 2016

Greg Roman's final act as the Buffalo Bills' offensive coordinator was to pose for the team picture that was scheduled for midday Friday, according to sources.

After Roman, and all the Bills coaches and players posed for the picture, head coach Rex Ryan informed Roman that he was relieving him of his duties.

But some in the Bills organization thought the changes could have been even more extensive. When some noticed that the Pegula family that owns the Bills never bothered to appear in the postgame locker room Thursday night, some wondered whether Ryan would be sent packing Friday, but it was Roman who lost his job.

Ryan told reporters Friday that firing Roman was "my move, without question."

Roman was the NFL's highest-paid offensive coordinator, a coach who makes about $2.5 million this year. The Bills will have to pay him for the next two years.

Roman, 44, was hired shortly after the Pegulas named Ryan their head coach in January 2015. Roman previously served as the San Francisco 49ers' offensive coordinator from 2011 to '14.

The Bills replaced Roman with assistant head coach/running backs coach Anthony Lynn. The 47-year-old served as Ryan's running backs coach with the New York Jets from 2009 to '14, before joining Ryan in Buffalo last season.

Lynn is the fifth different offensive coordinator to work under Ryan in the past six seasons. After the Jets finished 8-8 in 2011, offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer was replaced by Tony Sparano for the 2012 season. Sparano lasted just one season before being replaced by Marty Mornhinweg in the 2013 and 2014 seasons. Now Ryan has had two different offensive coordinators in two seasons as the Bills' head coach.

ESPN's Mike Rodak contributed to this report.

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