That's a stretch. If the Bills went 6-10, I think he would've stayed (or been fired). Hell, had the Pegulas given him what he wanted, he definitely would've stayed.
In that context, I care very much about Marrone's motivation as he sacrificed potential long term stability for (his) short term goal, which was to get out of Dodge as soon as possible. The man could care less about developing the young talent in favor of a few extra wins.
How is this any different from the Watkins trade? Sacrificing the future for a short term goal of winning more games? I think it's clear that the FO and coaching staff were going "all in," on the season.
Fact of the matter is that sacrificing wins for possible development went out the window the second the team got sold. Whaley and Marrone no longer had the luxury of a grace period with the new owners. They needed results as soon as possible. It painted many of the personnel decisions along the way.
Let's go through a hypothetical. EJ plays worse than Kyle Orton the entire season. Bills go 7-9 or 6-10, staff fired. Good for the long term stability of the franchise?
Sure, maybe EJ was just waiting to blossom from the <200 YPG QB that he was in the beginning of the season, but I doubt it. At this juncture, the HC's job is to win the most games possible. Which meant playing Orton.