ORCHARD PARK – The buzz surrounding Buffalo Bills receiver Keon Coleman hasn’t died down since team owner Terry Pegula mentioned his name in the infamous press conference following the firing of Sean McDermott.
You remember that day, right?
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President/general manager Brandon Beane was asked an innocuous question about the Bills’ declining wide receiver position in 2025, specifically Coleman, and Pegula interrupted Beane before he could answer.
“I will deal with Keon’s situation; the coaching staff forced to draft Keon,” said Pegula. “I’m not saying Brandon wouldn’t have drafted him, but it wasn’t his next decision. That was Brandon being a team player and taking the advice of his coaching staff who felt strongly about this player. He took, for some reason, the heat on that, and he’s not saying anything about it, but I’m here to tell you the true story.”
Now, to anyone reading between the lines, that conviction seemed to indicate that Pegula felt it was a mistake at the time, and certainly a mistake in hindsight, to select Coleman with the first pick of the second round in the 2024 draft.
And looking at Coleman’s first two seasons, filled with on-field friction and off-field immaturity, it’s not like Pegula didn’t have good reason to question the decision, no matter who made it.
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What Keon Coleman had to say as questions followed him through OTAs
Keon Coleman’s first two years with the Bills haven’t gone well, but he thinks 2026 will be his time to prove his worth.
On Tuesday, Coleman met with reporters following the OTA session at One Bills Drive for the first time since Pegula threw that game in the gas pool, and naturally, the story was told.
“I can’t say anything about that,” Coleman said. “My job is to go out here and play football, I am a paid person, I don’t care about anything.
Asked if he had talked to Pegula about it, Coleman said, “I haven’t.
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Joe Brady and Josh Allen return Coleman’s improvements
Joe Brady, Buffalo’s offensive coordinator in Coleman’s first two seasons and now head coach, has repeatedly backed the receiver whenever he’s been asked about him this offseason, and he did so again Tuesday.
“As a professional football coach, as a professional football player, you can’t get caught up in what’s being said about you. You just do your job, right?” he said. “He knows some of the things that happened last year, he had them, he knew that entering this year is another opportunity.
“I made sure once I got the job to let him know he’s going to be here, he’s going to be a part of our offense, and I’m excited for him to step up in this offense and meet Josh (Allen) and do those things. I love the way he works, I love the way he’s doing it right now. It’s been a huge thing for him to build his mind.”
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The first time Brady was asked about Coleman was at his introductory press conference and he revealed a line that has been making the rounds. “I told Keon when I was hired, the best thing that could have happened to Keon Coleman was for me to be his coach,” Brady said that day, and Coleman confirmed that call on Tuesday.
“He called me the night before his press conference, we had a great conversation,” Coleman said. “That’s our conversation. We’ve had a good conversation and we’re looking forward to good things this season. I mean, I feel like he’s had that (belief) in me since day one so I’m not going to make a difference.”
Josh Allen has been asked several times about Coleman since the end of the 2025 season, and like Brady, he believes the 23-year-old will make strides this year.
“I think it’s in a good spot,” Allen said Tuesday. “I think he continues to get better. He comes out every day, he’s been putting his hard hat on, he’s going to work, and continuous improvement is what I can say about him. He works very hard, and people see that. I notice that. He’s off to a good start this offseason … and hopefully that carries over into next season.”
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The Buffalo Bills tight end is raising the stakes
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman fumbles his way into the end zone and catches the ball in the end zone before running down for a touchdown in the second half at Empower FIeld at Mile High in Denver on Jan. 17, 2026.
Bygones are bygones, Coleman knows he can’t change them, and he knows he needs to get better in every aspect because he has tough competition if he hopes to keep his roster spot. The Bills signed free agents DJ Moore and Trent Sherfield and drafted Skyler Bell in the fourth round, and also included Khalil Shakir, Joshua Palmer and possibly Mecole Hardman and finally, injured Tyrell Shavers, who was fighting for playing time.
“My work is only for me, not for the boys in the room,” she said. “These guys are very good at what they do, but I have my skills and the things I bring to the table, so we can all work together, make something work. It’s time to put it all together. I don’t care what the possibilities are. It’s time to just put them out there on the field.
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Being benched for four games (last season), is unacceptable. However, I don’t need to encourage myself. I know what I am here to do and what I am capable of. I know what (the fans and media) are saying. I understand, I don’t care. None of them will come to arrest them and try to stand in front of me. It is none of those things. People will say what they want to say. At the end of the day, my job is to come out here, put on my cleats, lace them up and show my worth here. “
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for more than four decades including 37 years as a full-time D&C writer/columnist. He has written several books on the team’s history, and is also the host of BLEAV on the Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social.
This article first appeared in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Keon Coleman responds to criticism as Bills WR battle heats up.
