Less than 24 hours after their heart-breaking loss in the Divisional Round to the Broncos, Bills players were back at One Bills Drive to have their exit meetings and clean out their lockers as the offseason begins. Players discussed their emotions after the loss, what made the 2025 Bills so special and how the coaches put together a roster that was battle tested.
All locker room interviews can be found on the Bills video page. QB Josh Allen intends to speak with the media later in the week.
Here's what we learned from the players as they close the chapter on this season.
Not letting a loss define them | How Bills players are feeling and what they're doing to move on
Down 13 in the third quarter of the Divisional Round game, Buffalo fought back and scored 20 points on the Broncos to force overtime. The Bills defense grabbed an interception and forced two punts in the second half to help the offense tie it up with a 50-yard field goal as time expired.
Once overtime started, Buffalo's defense forced a punt on the first series. Another chance for the Bills offense. Buffalo was moving the football with a nine-play drive, but a controversial call ended their drive that could have put them at Denver's 20-yard-line with a chance to win it.
Quarterback Josh Allen threw a deep ball to wide receiver Brandin Cooks on 3rd & 11. Cooks did a great job fielding the ball and maintaining possession as his knee hit the ground. The referees instead ruled it as an interception by Broncos defensive back Ja'Quan McMillian. In the pool report done after the game, lead referee Carl Cheffers said Cooks lost possession of the ball when he hit the ground and the defender gained possession and completed the catch.
As Bills players cleaned out their lockers on Sunday afternoon, they still reflected on what might have been had the call gone in their favor.
"I definitely thought I caught it," Cooks said. "I think it's one of those things that you've seen examples of throughout the league this year, over the years. Definitely thought it was a catch. Knee was definitely down and had possession. But I'm not the one to make excuses.
"I think, at the end of the day, for me, the way I think about it is just got to find a way to not put it in the ref's hand … Unfortunately, didn't get the call to go our way."
Veteran linebacker Shaq Thompson agreed with Cooks. They could have done more to not let the game be decided by the officials.
"A lot of emotions, a lot of anger, frustration, and rightfully so," Thompson said. "But I mean, there's multiple ways to look at this. You can look at the catch as a catch ruled down by contact. And there's multiple plays that we left out there that we didn't have to put in the hands of the refs."
"It felt like it kind of just got glazed over," tight end Dawson Knox said of the ruling. "Even though they probably did review it plenty, it didn't feel like to us that it was kind of looked at intentionally, and that was probably the most frustrating part to pour out our body and our hearts into the game, and then a critical moment like that seemed to just have been a call that they stuck with and then moved on to the next play."
Defensive end Greg Rousseau is also frustrated with how the Divisional Round ended but isn't letting one game define his career.
"It's hard losing games like that, overtime games in the playoffs," Rousseau shared. "We were right there. The margin of error in the league is so small, especially in the postseason … We're a really good team. We know what we're capable of. It's tough to fall short like that, but it is what it is. And we got to grow from it. Move on and keep going. You can't let one moment in life; a loss or win define you."
One player who is shouldering a lot of Buffalo's loss is quarterback Josh Allen. Allen said on the podium after the game, he let his teammates down. His teammates vehemently disagree and believe Allen was the biggest reason behind Buffalo putting up 30 points against the third best scoring defense.
"The type of leader he is, the type of man he is, he's always going to try to put it all on his shoulders," Knox said. "That's what gives us so much respect and so much love for him … So just trying to pick him up and let him know, we put up 30 points on arguably the best defense in the NFL. And he gave us every chance to win possible."
As the Bills process the tough loss and look ahead to what's next, the veterans are telling the younger players to keep their heads up.
"Just keep your heads up. It's part of the NFL," Thompson said. "… It's hard to win in this league, and it's hard to get in the playoffs … You have to enjoy every win, every moment. You have to learn from every loss, and you have to also learn from every win."
"There were some conversations today where they were like, 'Hey, it's going to be okay,' rookie defensive tackle Deone Walker said of what the vets told them. "Take it one day at a time. Focus on getting your body better, getting your mental better, getting everything better for next season."
With the offseason here, Knox doesn't want to forget the feeling of Saturday's loss. He wants it to fuel him and his teammates as they prepare for next season.
"I think it's important to kind of hold those feelings and remember what this feels like because that is some of the best motivation for moving forward," Knox said. "And hopefully one of these years, we'll be able to get over the hump."
'It goes beyond just inside the locker room' | Resiliency was the glue that made the 2025-26 Bills special
The 2025-26 Buffalo Bills were a tight-knit group. On Sunday, the players reflected on not only what makes their brotherhood special, but what Buffalo and Bills Mafia mean to them.
After a season plagued by injuries, the Bills embodied a "next man up" mentality. From offense to defense to special teams, resilient is the word that comes to mind when describing this group.
"I would characterize our team as resilient … No matter what, put the ball down, let's play," rookie defensive tackle Deone Walker said. "We have to trust, especially on the defensive side of the ball, we have that trust that, next man up, he's going to make the play. We trust that he's going to be where he needs to be. That's why I love this group."
The grit of the group came to life all the way back in Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens. Fullback Reggie Gilliam said that even with the odds stacked against them, they persisted – even if there was a looming sense of doubt in the stadium.
"We didn't blink at all," Gilliam said.
Even if they weren't on the field playing, they had each other's backs.
"I was the biggest cheerleader for the Bills. I was supporting the guys," kicker Tyler Bass said. "It's hard to watch when you're not out there doing it after doing it for a while, but all I could do was just cheer on the guys and be there for them anyway I could."
If not overcoming injury, everyone was ready to step up if their number was called.
That mentality and preparation is something linebacker Shaq Thompson didn't take for granted. He said playing with "alphas" — something he said stretched from the roster to the coaches to the training staff to everyone in the building — is exactly why wants to be in Buffalo. Thompson said the Bills brought football back to him and that he enjoyed every second being a part of a special group.
"Resiliency. Next man up mentality," Thompson said on what defines this team. "Everybody has that mindset as if they're a starter. Everybody is preparing as if they're a starter and making sure there's no hiccups if one of the starters goes down. Make sure everybody's on that next page and go out there and play the same."
Playing for each other rippled throughout the locker room. Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky said that even though Buffalo's season ended in the Divisional Round, it was still a special year of football.
"I love this team, I love these guys and I love the city … It's a special group. Great relationships that will last the rest of my life, for sure," Trubisky said. "Just proud of these guys and just want everybody to keep their chins up, hold them high and just continue to work hard because it's just going to make us into better people and better teammates and players."
Those relationships aren't just exclusive to the 2025-26 season. Like Trubisky, wide receiver Curtis Samuel said the brotherhood will stick with him.
"I was telling a lot of guys that I'll miss them. I'll miss them because it's just fun being around a lot of guys," Samuel said. "You go from being around each other for months and then next thing you know, boom. Just like that you don't see people for a while. So, I tell people all the time, 'If you're in my area, just say what's up and we can hang.'
"This is a close group. Just the brotherhood and the friendships that people have here is truly amazing. I think it goes beyond just inside the locker room. I think a lot of guys really mesh well."
Beyond the locker room, too, the team reflected on what makes Buffalo a special place for them. Guard O'Cyrus Torrence said Bills Mafia made even the darkest moments light.
"That definitely was something that made my night. Coming home and not expecting to see they made it back at like two in the morning, fans are out there in the cold, still happy that we came home after the loss, still happy to see us and still cheering for us," Torrence said after returning home from Denver. "It's hard to cheer for yourself after a loss like that, but having fans that cheer for you and uplift you is just something that's special about the Buffalo community."
While tight end Dawson Knox agrees the team and Buffalo as a community is a special place to experience, he also knows that the Bills are all he's ever known in the NFL. Still, he feels the energy from those who have other experiences around the league.
"It's a special place. You hear that from guys that come in from different teams. You hear that from guys that leave and go somewhere else and talk about how much they love being here, and the perspective they have after having been somewhere different. It's a special place," he said. "It's a place that I call home … it's a place that will always be special to me [and] this place is going to continue being special, and I hope I can be here for as long as possible."
