The 2009 season was the Buffalo Bills' 40th season in the National Football League (NFL) the 50th overall and the fourth and final under the head coach Dick Jauron.
The Bills were unable to improve upon their third consecutive 7–9 regular-season record (2006, 2007 and 2008) and failed to make the playoffs for the 10th consecutive year, the longest-standing playoff drought in the NFL which did not end until the 2017 season.
Jauron returned as head coach for a fourth season, the first Bills coach since Marv Levy to receive a contract extension beyond three years. He was fired on November 17 after a 3–6 start and replaced on an interim basis by defensive coordinator Perry Fewell, who was fired at the end of the season but not before starting Ryan Fitzpatrick for the rest of the season.
Offseason
Notable roster additions
WR Terrell Owens – Signed March 7. – Former Team: Dallas Cowboys
CB Drayton Florence – Signed March 3. – Former Team: Jacksonville Jaguars
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick – Signed February 27. – Former Team: Cincinnati Bengals
C Geoff Hangartner – Signed February 28. – Former team: Carolina Panthers
RB Dominic Rhodes – Signed April 18. But released September 5 – Former Team: Indianapolis Colts
Notable roster losses
OG Derrick Dockery – Released February 26. Dockery re-joined the Washington Redskins. QB J. P. Losman – Allowed to leave as a free agent. After not receiving any interest from the NFL, signed with the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League in June 2009. TE Robert Royal – Released February 26. Royal signed a contract to join the Cleveland Browns. LT Jason Peters – Traded to the Philadelphia Eagles. Traded for the 28th (Eric Wood) and 121st pick (Shawn Nelson) in the 2009 NFL Draft and a conditional 6th round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. LT/RT Langston Walker – Released September 8. Re-signed with the Oakland Raiders.
NFL Draft
The Bills drafted three players—Eric Wood, Andy Levitre and Jairus Byrd—who would later become starters on the team. Byrd was runner-up in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. First round pick Aaron Maybin was released from the Bills shortly before the 2011 season after two disappointing seasons with the team.
Undrafted free agents
Staff
Roster
Preseason
Preseason
The Bills were selected to play against the Tennessee Titans in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on August 9, 2009; the game seeks to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the American Football League. Bills owner Ralph Wilson was among the 2009 inductees to the Hall and is one of the two surviving original AFL owners, the other being Titans owner Bud Adams. Each team wore their AFL throwback uniforms, with the Titans in Houston Oilers uniforms, as the team played in Houston until the early-1990s.
Schedule
The Bills played a 16-game schedule in 2009, in accordance with the NFL scheduling formula. The schedule consisted of six games against their AFC East divisional rivals (two each against the Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, and New York Jets), four intra-conference games versus the AFC South (one game each against the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tennessee Titans), four inter-conference games against teams from the NFC South (one game each against the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers), and two games against the remaining two AFC teams that, like Buffalo, finished fourth in their respective divisions in 2008 (one game each versus the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs). For the first time, the Bills faced the Buccaneers in Buffalo; in the 33-year history of the Tampa Bay franchise, all previous regular-season games between the two teams have been held in Tampa, Florida.
Schedule
Standings
Regular season
Week 1
The Bills began their season at Gillette Stadium for an AFL Legacy duel with their AFC East rival, the New England Patriots, in the first game of a MNF doubleheader. Buffalo got off to a fast start in the first quarter as quarterback Trent Edwards completed an 11-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight end Shawn Nelson. The Patriots would respond in the second quarter as running back Fred Taylor got a 1-yard touchdown run, yet Buffalo came right back as defensive end Aaron Schobel returned an interception 26 yards for a touchdown. New England would close out the half with kicker Stephen Gostkowski getting a 20-yard field goal.