The Buffalo Bills announced that Doug Marrone exercised the option clause in his contract and resigned as the team’s head coach.

“We are disappointed that Coach Marrone will no longer be an important part of our organization,” Bills owner 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.”

Marrone had a three-day out clause in his contract, and the window was triggered by the sale of the team to the Pegula family.

Marrone led the Bills to a 9-7 record in his second season with the team and leaves with a 15-17 record overall. There are five other head coaching vacancies in the NFL that Marrone can now be considered for as well.

He was hired by the Bills after leading Syracuse to a 25-25 record from 2009-12.