Because the Bills sent out several HC interview requests Wednesday morning, Terry Pegula conducted an interesting press conference. Certainly one of the topics covered a player who might not be long for Buffalo.
The longtime Bills owner interrupted football ops president/GM Brandon Beane on a solution regarding Keon Coleman, indicating the coaching staff pushed for the wide receiver’s selection in 2024. The Bills traded out of Round 1 to No. 33 and opened Day 2 of that draft with Coleman, but his second season — a playoff touchdown notwithstanding — brought considerable disappointment.
“I’ll address the Keon situation. The coaching staff pushed to draft Keon,” Pegula said. “I’m not saying Brandon wouldn’t have drafted him, but [Coleman] wasn’t his next selection. That was Brandon being a team player and taking advice of his coaching staff who felt strongly concerning the player. And you already know, he’s taken — for some reason — heat over it, and never saying a word about it. But I’m here to let you know the true story.”
The Bills traded out of No. 28, allowing the Chiefs to return up and draft Xavier Worthy. Two more receivers — Ricky Pearsall, Xavier Legette — went to shut Round 1. Coleman opened the draft’s second night despite running a 4.61-second 40-yard dash on the Mix. Beane is quoted on a pre-draft video indicating Coleman’s 4.57-second 40 time at Florida State’s pro day would help the team land him, and the GM confirmed he signed off on the pick.
“I made the pick,” Beane said. “Terry’s point was that we might need had a unique order of personnel versus coaching, and I went that way. But ultimately, I’m not turning a pick for a player that I don’t think we are able to succeed with. So don’t misunderstand that.
“Keon Coleman is a young player that has been here two years, has two years left on his deal. It’s as much as us to work with him and develop him. His issues haven’t been on the sphere. They’ve just been maturity things that he owns. I give him credit. … He doesn’t make excuses, which I appreciate.”
Sending the Dolphins and offer of first- and third-round picks for Jaylen Waddle on the deadline, the Bills scoured the marketplace for wide receiver help. The team evidently didn’t out-offer the Jaguars or Seahawks for Jakobi Meyers or Rashid Shaheed, and it ended up adding just a few options — including Brandin Cooks — via in-season free agency. Coleman’s lack of development keyed the team’s wide receiver need, with Josh Allen having little when it comes to reliability on the position beyond Khalil Shakir.
On the time of the pick, Beane said Allen helped coaches scout receiver prospects. Coleman was amongst those the superstar passer preferred. It has not worked out to this point. By not singling out McDermott, Pegula left the door open to multiple Bills staffers pushing for Coleman. Joe Brady, among the many team’s HC candidates, was in place as OC by then.
Although Coleman showed promise as a rookie (29 receptions, 556 yards, 4 touchdowns), he fell off after an explosive Week 1 outing this season. Coleman finished the regular season with 38 catches for 404 yards and 4 TDs. This sophomore season included healthy scratches, with Sean McDermott citing professionalism as a problem for the second-year player. With Gabriel Davis and Tyrell Shavers tearing ACLs within the Bills’ playoff opener, Coleman was thrust right into a key role once more to shut the campaign.
Being drafted thirty third overall, Coleman is due guaranteed money through 2027. The Bills guaranteed $9.64MM of Coleman’s $10.1MM rookie deal. That may factor into any trade talks. Whilst Beane attempted to walk back Pegula’s comments, it is unusual for an owner to single out a player in the best way Pegula did. That points to potential Coleman trade availability, because the Bills will certainly prioritize the WR position as they modify coaching staffs this offseason.