Buffalo Bills head coach Doug Marrone has opted out of his contract with the Buffalo Bills and is now free to sign elsewhere in the NFL, ESPN reports.
Marrone opted out in the final hours of a three-day period in which he could leave the team and his four-year contract signed in 2013. The original opt-out clause was included in case of an ownership change, which happened when Terry and Kim Pegula bought the franchise in October.
"We are disappointed that Coach Marrone will no longer be an important part of our organization," Terry Pegula said in a statement. "We thank him for all of his hard work and leadership during his tenure and wish him and his family the best with the next chapter in their lives.
"We will now begin the important process of conducting a thorough search for a new head coach as we continue to strive to reach our goal of returning to the playoffs and bringing a championship to Buffalo for our fans."
According to sources, ambiguity surrounding potential franchise changes led Marrone to exercise his opt-out option while negotiating an extension with the team.
Marrone will still receive his 2015 guaranteed base salary of $4 million.
Teams with current head coaching vacancies include the Chicago Bears, New York Jets, Oakland Raiders, Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers.
"Bills sources believe Marrone could have particular interest in the Jets, where he once served as offensive line coach for four years," ESPN's Chris Mortensen wrote. "Sources say the Jets will have strong interest in Marrone."
While it's typical for a head coach to bring many of his assistants with him to a new job, several of the coaches who worked under Marrone in Buffalo have contracts that run through the 2015 season.
Marrone went 15-17 in two seasons with the Bills. E.J. Manuel, the team's first round pick in 2013, was benched after just 14 games. He was replaced this year by Kyle Orton and the team finished 9-7.
