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 Marrone departs just three days after guiding the Bills to their
first winning season in a decade. They finished 9-7.
He leaves after serving two years of his contract. According to
media reports, Marrone had an option in his deal that gave him until
the end of Wednesday to opt out, and he will get a $4 million
payout.
"Doug Marrone informed me late today that he has decided to exercise
the option clause in his contract and relinquish his
responsibilities as our head coach," Buffalo owner Terry Pegula said
in a statement.
"We are disappointed that (he) will no longer be an important part
of our organization.
 "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."
Marrone's departure means that at least five NFL teams will have new
head coaches next year.
The Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons and New York Jets dumped their
coaches on Monday, while Jim Harbaugh left San Francisco by "mutual"
agreement to take the helm at the University of Michigan.
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Marrone, 50, took his first NFL head coaching position with Buffalo
after four seasons in charge at Syracuse University where he
finished with a 25-25 record.
The Bills went 6-10 in his first season in charge in 2013, before
improving substantially this year and almost making the playoffs.
(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by Mark
Lamport-Stokes)
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