The Buffalo Bills face a decision with wide receiver Keon Coleman, who became a target for owner Terry Pegula after the team ousted head coach Sean McDermott.
Pegula made a pointed statement placing the blame on McDermott for taking Coleman in the second round two years ago, underscoring the wide receiver’s shaky place on the roster. Coleman struggled with inconsistency and disciplinary issues last season, leading one analyst to predict that the team would part ways with him this offseason.
Bills Ship Keon Coleman Out West
Reporter Mark Morales-Smith of SI.com suggested that the Bills could send Coleman to the Las Vegas Raiders, who are set to take quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick and could use some weapons for him.
The return could be the tricky part. Morales-Smith believes the Bills would receive only a sixth-round pick in return, a very small return after the team invested the No. 33 overall pick to land him two years ago.
But, as Morales-Smith suggested, something may be better than nothing.
“At this point, the Bills are just hoping to get any sort of compensation for Coleman,” Morales-Smith wrote. “Things have clearly fallen apart for him in Buffalo, and no one expects things to work out. If they aren’t able to trade him, there is no lock he makes the 2026 53-man roster without getting cut at some point this summer.”
Others see a higher value for Coleman. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell suggested that the Bills could send Coleman along with first- and fifth-round picks to the Tennesse Titans for the No. 35 (second round) and No. 66 (third round) picks in the draft.
âAfter trading that second-round pick to the Bears for DJ Moore, Bills general manager Brandon Beane should be looking to move down from No. 26 and add a Day 2 pick,â Barnwell wrote.
âHe can sweeten the pot by including Coleman. Though Joe Brady has said that he values Coleman and thinks that the third-year wide receiver can continue to grow in a Bills uniform, ownership publicly trashing Coleman in that memorable postseason news conference tells you how the most important person in the building sees the 2024 second-round pick. This trade values Coleman as a fourth-rounder, which seems about right for a player who hasnât consistently impressed so far as a pro.â
Keon Coleman’s Short Leash
Coleman was benched twice last season for missing team meetings and practices, while also struggling to match the level of production he showed in his rookie season. The Bills have already added more competition this offseason by trading for wide receiver DJ Moore, leaving Coleman’s place on the team even more uncertain.
The team could ultimately keep Coleman due to his rookie contract and the investment they made in 2024, but he would likely have a short leash after having already run into so many disciplinary problems.
Coleman did seem to get a vote of confidence from Bills general manager Brandon Beane, who told The Athletic that the team has seen some important growth.
âListen, he has to go do it, but I think we feel confident that the maturity level is heading where it needs to,” Beane said. “Again, heâs got to go do it. We believe in the skill set, and thatâs part of what your culture is. We all grow at different times; none of us were a made product at 21, 22. Do you wish you had to go through that with him? No, you donât. But you hope for us, and for him, he looks back and says, âThat was the best thing that happened to me.â Thatâs what you hope.”
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