Buddy Nix Steps Down As Buffalo Bills General Manager

Buddy Nix is stepping down as general manager of the Buffalo Bills, the team announced Monday.

Nix said he will remain on in a new role as special assistant. The Bills did not immediately name a replacement, but the team has been preparing assistant general manager Doug Whaley to eventually take over.

Buddy Nix said he knew it was the right time to step down from his position with the Bills.

“I’ve made this decision to step away from the general manager’s position because I feel it is the right time. By the ‘right time’ I mean I think we have a good young roster, an excellent head coach [Doug Marrone] with a good staff, and it’s time to let someone else handle these responsibilities and move forward together,” Nix said in a statement.

“Timing is the main thing, but there are other benefits as well. This job is very demanding with a 24-7 schedule of responsibilities. This new position will enable me to spend more time with my family. I appreciate the opportunity given to me by [owner] Mr. [Ralph] Wilson and [president and CEO] Russ [Brandon] and I’m fortunate to step away from the job and still remain a part of the team.”

Nix brought a bit of embarrassment to the franchise back in March when he was prank called by a pair of 20-year-olds prank callers pretending to be Tampa Gay general manager Mark Dominik. The two called the Bills front office and were patched through to Nix, but they quickly got scared and hung up.

But Nix was undeterred, and kept trying to call the two back. Finally, they got an idea to call the Tampa Bay front office and patch the two general managers in on a call, listening in as they spoke. The conversation revealed Nix’s growing frustration with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who would be cut later that month.

“We’re still struggling here with our quarterback,” Nix said. “We’re not really struggling — he’s going to have to do something, or we’ll have to … We just can’t afford to pay that kind of money for a guy who’s fighting for probably a backup job.”

Buddy Nix stepped down from the Bills after his third season. The team had only 16 wins during that time, last in the NFL over the time period.