Terry Pegula Blamed His Own Coaches for Drafting Keon Coleman. Now Coleman Might Get Traded.
The Buffalo Bills’ relationship with Keon Coleman was already complicated. Then Terry Pegula opened his mouth.
Last month, the Bills owner publicly blamed his former coaching staff for the decision to draft Coleman with the 33rd pick in 2024. That is not a normal thing to say about a player who is still on your roster and still under his rookie contract. That is not a nice thing to say about a 22-year-old kid who has been trying to figure out his role for two seasons.
Now Coleman is being talked about as a potential trade candidate, and the vibes coming out of Buffalo suggest this could actually happen.
The Coleman situation, briefly
Coleman was drafted out of Florida State in 2024 as a big-bodied outside receiver with impressive contested catch ability and potential as a red zone weapon. His rookie year was uneven. He caught some highlight-reel touchdowns, but he also dropped some passes and got lost in the offense at times.
Year two was supposed to be his breakout. It has not been. He has struggled to earn consistent snaps, Josh Allen has looked more comfortable throwing to other guys, and the coaching staff has been slow to force-feed him targets. When your quarterback does not trust you, you do not play. That is how it works everywhere.
Add in the fact that ownership is now publicly second-guessing the draft pick, and the whole thing looks broken. Coleman is not a happy player. Buffalo is not a happy team. Something has to change.
The Pegula comments were a mistake
Terry Pegula has been an active owner in Buffalo for years, and most of that activity has been positive. He kept the Bills in Buffalo. He hired Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane, who together built a legitimate contender. He gave Josh Allen the money to stay long term.
But saying that a specific player was drafted because of a failed coaching regime is a bad move. It publicly diminishes the player, undermines the current staff’s ability to work with him, and creates a scenario where every reporter in Western New York is going to ask about the tension.
Coleman is not going to want to play for an owner who has publicly called his selection a mistake. That is basic human psychology. And Buffalo cannot fix that dynamic with words. They can only fix it with a trade.
Who trades for Keon Coleman?
The receiver market is always active late in preseason, especially with cuts coming August 30. A young receiver with size, first-round talent, and cheap contract control is exactly the kind of asset teams look for.
The Steelers have been mentioned. So have the Bears, the Jaguars, and the Panthers. All are teams with young quarterbacks and unsettled receiver rooms. The trade compensation would likely be a mid-round pick or a swap of Day 3 picks. Nothing huge, but enough for Buffalo to feel like they did not just give a former second-round pick away.
The Bills’ receiver room without Coleman
Buffalo has been building around Josh Allen with a rotation of receivers rather than one top-tier star. Khalil Shakir has emerged as a legitimate slot weapon. Dalton Kincaid gives Allen a big target at tight end. The team has continued to look for that outside receiver piece.
If Coleman gets traded, the Bills will need to fill his roster spot from within or via another trade. There is no shortage of receiver depth in this offense, but the outside “X” receiver role does need somebody who can win in isolation. That could be Curtis Samuel, or it could be someone the Bills bring in.
How this ends
Buffalo is going to trade Keon Coleman before the season starts. The signs are all there. Ownership has publicly diminished him. The coaching staff has not committed to him. The quarterback has not trusted him. His body language has been off.
When all four of those things are true at the same time, a trade is not just possible. It is inevitable. Coleman gets a fresh start somewhere, the Bills get a mid-round pick, and everyone moves on.
The one lesson here for future NFL owners: do not publicly critique players who are still under contract. It creates a mess. Ask Buffalo how that has worked out.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
