Stevie Johnson, longtime Buffalo Bills wide receiver, joined One Bills Live and talked about taking on a mentorship role with WR Keon Coleman.
Coleman, 23, knows he’s entering a ‘make-or-break’ season after a disappointing 2025 campaign where he appeared in just 13 games with 38 catches for 404 yards and four touchdowns.
“For me, it’s make or break,” Coleman said during OTAs. “[If you are] s—, you might not be here. Simple as that.”
CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan wrote about how Coleman could be running out of time to prove himself in Buffalo, saying, “After logging 556 yards and averaging 19.2 yards per catch as a rookie, Coleman’s numbers dropped in Year 2. To make matters worse, following the firing of Sean McDermott, owner Terry Pegula effectively blamed the coaching staff for the selection instead of GM Brandon Beane.
While that initially felt like the final nail in Coleman’s coffin in Buffalo, he remains with the team entering what is almost certainly a make-or-break campaign.”
However, Johnson believes Coleman is in store for a breakout season heading into Year 3.
Stevie Johnson Sends Detailed Message on Mentoring Bills WR Keon Coleman
Speaking on One Bills Live, Stevie Johnson talked about how he saw the total opposite of Keon Coleman from what the media has painted him out to be.
“I felt like he was the total opposite what I was expected to work with, you know, because I never talked to Keon. I never had a personal relationship with him. I just assumed that he listens to the media and he would hear me when I speak on Buffalo Endzone postgame so he can better his game. So, I never had a real relationship with him. And what I heard was he’s coming to meetings late. He’s always having fun. It looks like he could care less when he was a healthy scratch.
And then when I actually got to meet him, it was the total opposite. He was a masterful student of the game, and that’s where it kind of clicked cuz we didn’t only work on like the physical and the release, we worked on a lot of things mentally. And when I realized the student, the type of student he was, it just took us to another level of our communication and our relationship.”
Johnson Believes Coleman Could ‘Be the Best’
Stevie Johnson went so far as to say that he believes Keon Coleman could ‘be the best.’
“He can be the best. He can be considered one of the best because he has every tool. He’s got the height, he’s got the size, he’s got the speed. He’s got it so much to the point where people kind of overlook it now because they’ve seen all of the great traits. They just want to see it always on Sunday. And that’s pretty much what we worked on.”
Johnson later talked about what gives him the confidence that Coleman will put it all together in year three.
“He’s still got to go out and put all of his tools together each week and make it happen. But what gives me great confidence is him being a student of the game. There’s a lot of things that happened to Keon which I told him, ‘You was in the fire through media. You was in the fire at the facility within the doghouse type things, but you never retaliated. You never went out there and subtweeting or things like that.’ So that showed me that this kid is more mature than people are giving him credit for.”
Johnson’s endorsement also carries extra weight because he’s not simply evaluating Coleman from afar.
After spending time working directly with the young receiver, Johnson’s perspective is based on firsthand experience rather than outside narratives. If Coleman’s work ethic and commitment behind the scenes are as strong as Johnson describes, the Bills may be betting that improved coaching and a fresh start can help translate his physical tools into consistent production.
With Buffalo needing another reliable weapon in the passing game, Coleman now has an opportunity to validate Johnson’s confidence and prove that his first two seasons don’t define his long-term potential.
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