Keon Coleman isn’t catching footballs now that the Buffalo Bills’ season is over. He’s catching heat.
Coleman didn’t receiving a ringing endorsement from team owner Terry Pegula, who met the media on Jan. 21 to discuss the decision to fire head coach Sean McDermott and all things Bills. While discussing the Bills’ crop of receivers, which had been the subject of criticism from fans and onlookers, Pegula took a moment to defend the general manager, Brandon Beane.
‘The coaching staff pushed to draft Keon,’ Pegula said. ‘I’m not saying saying Brandon wouldn’t have drafted him, but he wasn’t his next choice. That was Brandon being a team player and taking advice of his coaching staff, who felt strongly about the player.
‘He’s taking, for some reason, heat over it and not saying a word about it, but I’m here to tell you the true story.’
Beane was later asked how the team could move forward with Coleman after Pegula’s comments.
‘He was my pick,’ Beane said. ‘I made the pick. Terry’s point was that we might’ve had a different order of personnel vs. coaching. Ultimately I’m not turning in a pick for a player that I don’t think we can succeed with.
‘Keon Coleman is a young player that has been here two years, has two years left on his deal. It’s up to us to continue to work with him and develop him. His issues have not been on the field. They’ve just been maturity things that he owns.’
Pegula also looked to redirect his earlier comments, saying that he was only trying to show that the Bills collaborate in their process.
‘I don’t think you could look at one player, even Josh [Allen], where somebody thought we could’ve drafted so and so here,’ Pegula said.
The second-year receiver didn’t take the leap that many had hoped for in 2025 and saw his production drop almost across the board.
Coleman averaged just 31.1 receiving yards per game in 2025 after posting 42.8 per game during his rookie season. The Bills opted to make the receiver a healthy scratch multiple times throughout the season, which originally stemmed from Coleman being late to a team meeting.
Buffalo used the 33rd pick in the 2024 NFL Draft to bring Coleman on board, with the idea that he would develop into the team’s new top receiving option for Josh Allen.
It came on the heels of the decision to trade Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans ahead of the draft.
Notably, Coleman is still on the roster despite the criticism from Pegula.
The receiver remains under contract for two more seasons, part of the four-year rookie contract he signed after being drafted.