Buffalo Bills Turned Down Keon Coleman Trade Offers
In April 2024, the Buffalo Billstraded All-Pro wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans. Three weeks later, the Bills drafted wide receiver Keon Coleman with the first pick of the second round (No. 33 overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Coleman, now 22, was hyped as Diggs’ replacement, and the hope was that he would become quarterback Josh Allen’s new go-to target. That is not what has transpired over the past two seasons.
Khalil Shakir, the Bills’ 2022 fifth-round pick, emerged as Allen’s most reliable wide receiver, while Coleman developed a reputation as wholly unreliable. He showed flashes as a rookie, totaling 556 yards and four touchdowns, but he only caught 29 of his 57 targets in 13 regular-season games in 2024.
Last season, Coleman was a healthy scratch for four games and only mustered 404 yards and four touchdowns - his average yards per reception dropping from 19.2 to 10.6 - on 38 catches in 13 regular-season games.
Despite that, the Bills aren’t giving up on him.
Bills president of football operations and general manager Brandon Beane appeared on WGR 550 on Monday and disclosed that Buffalo has received trade interest in Coleman but is not interested in moving him.
“We had some people connect with us in Indy [at the 2026 NFL Combine in February], at least one team there, and a couple between there and the owners meetings,” Beane said, per ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg. “But we shut those down. Our intention is for Keon to be here, and so I think the word was kind of out. So, no calls this weekend.”
Beane added, “We’ve hit the reset button with him, and hopefully, the fan base and everyone’s behind him. I think his best year is yet to come here in 2026.”
This is a stark change in tone from what Bills owner Terry Pegula said about Coleman during a press conference after the team fired head coach Sean McDermott in January.
“I’ll address the Keon situation,” Pegula said, interrupting a question posed to Beane about the Bills’ underperforming wide receiver room. “The coaching staff pushed to draft Keon. I’m not 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.”
While the Bills decided to keep Coleman on the roster for next season, they have made other moves acknowledging that their wide receiver play has not been good enough in recent seasons.
In March, the Bills traded a 2026 second-round draft pick to the Chicago Bears in exchange for veteran wide receiver DJ Moore and the Bears’ 2026 fifth-round pick. Then, during Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft over the weekend, Buffalo selected UConn wide receiver Skyler Bell in the fourth round.
“I thought the guy was a baller when I watched him on tape,” Beane said of Bell on WGR 550, adding, “You could see a guy that made plays, whether it was throwing him screens and breaking a tackle or making a guy miss. He had some very good run-after-catch plays.”
Beane conceded that Bell is not a “big-time vertical threat,” but Beane likened his speed to Shakir and emphasized his versatility.
The Bills promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady to head coach as McDermott’s replacement, and Brady has also publicly built up Coleman this offseason.
"I do think there's some possibilities to get some matchups and move Khalil on the outside and Keon on the inside,” Brady said last week, per the Democrat & Chronicle. "Doing the same thing with DJ Moore. It's a unique group, and I've got to do a better job than I did last year at moving these guys around."
Brady added, “I believe in who Keon Coleman is. I've never questioned Keon’s work ethic. I've never questioned Keon's athleticism. I think when he surrounds himself with the people that he needs down here in this building, it's all going to come together. I have no doubt in Keon Coleman.”
After the past two seasons, Bills fans likely need to see it to believe it.
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This story was originally published April 27, 2026 at 2:59 PM.