As the Bills sent out several HC interview requests Wednesday morning, Terry Pegula conducted an interesting press conference. One of the topics covered a player who may not be long for Buffalo.
The longtime Bills owner interrupted football ops president/GM Brandon Beane on an answer regarding Keon Coleman, indicating the coaching staff pushed for the wide receiver’s selection in 2024. The Bills traded out of Round 1 to No. 33 and opened Day 2 of that draft with Coleman, but his second season — a playoff touchdown notwithstanding — brought considerable disappointment.
“I’ll address the Keon situation. The coaching staff pushed to draft Keon,” Pegula said. “I’m not saying Brandon wouldn’t have drafted him, but [Coleman] 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. And you know, he’s taken — for some reason — heat over it, and not saying a word about it. But I’m here to tell you the true story.”
The Bills traded out of No. 28, allowing the Chiefs to come up and draft Xavier Worthy. Two more receivers — Ricky Pearsall, Xavier Legette — went to close Round 1. Coleman opened the draft’s second night despite running a 4.61-second 40-yard dash at the Combine. Beane is quoted on a pre-draft video indicating Coleman’s 4.57-second 40 time at Florida State’s pro day would help the team land him, and the GM confirmed he signed off on the pick.
“I made the pick,” Beane said. “Terry’s point was that we might have had a different order of personnel versus coaching, and I went that way. But ultimately, I’m not turning a pick for a player that I don’t think we can succeed with. So don’t misunderstand that.
“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 work with him and develop him. His issues have not been on the field. They’ve just been maturity things that he owns. I give him credit. … He doesn’t make excuses, which I appreciate.”
Sending the Dolphins and offer of first- and third-round picks for Jaylen Waddle at the deadline, the Bills scoured the market for wide receiver help. The team evidently did not out-offer the Jaguars or Seahawks for Jakobi Meyers or Rashid Shaheed, and it ended up adding a few options — including Brandin Cooks — via in-season free agency. Coleman’s lack of development keyed the team’s wide receiver need, with Josh Allen having little in terms of reliability at the position beyond Khalil Shakir.
At the time of the pick, Beane said Allen helped coaches scout receiver prospects. Coleman was among those the superstar passer preferred. It has not worked out thus far. By not singling out McDermott, Pegula left the door open to multiple Bills staffers pushing for Coleman. Joe Brady, among the team’s HC candidates, was in place as OC by then.
Although Coleman showed promise as a rookie (29 receptions, 556 yards, four touchdowns), he fell off after an explosive Week 1 outing this season. Coleman finished the regular season with 38 catches for 404 yards and four TDs. This sophomore season included healthy scratches, with Sean McDermott citing professionalism as an issue for the second-year player. With Gabriel Davis and Tyrell Shavers tearing ACLs in the Bills’ playoff opener, Coleman was thrust into a key role once again to close the campaign.
Being drafted 33rd overall, Coleman is due guaranteed money through 2027. The Bills guaranteed $9.64MM of Coleman’s $10.1MM rookie deal. That will factor into any trade talks. Even as Beane attempted to walk back Pegula’s comments, it is uncommon for an owner to single out a player in the way Pegula did. That points to potential Coleman trade availability, as the Bills will surely prioritize the WR position as they change coaching staffs this offseason.
I’d give up a future 7th for him. Take a flier and see if he can be fixed. He’s got pedigree.
It appears the future is bright for young Keon!
Hahaha the Bills keepin’ on Bill-in
“But I’m here to tell you the true story.”
Well Gee thanks Terry, but this is a rumor site….wild speculation is a lot more fun 🙂
That should be a red flag for any potential head coach.
For all good things that McDermott did with his successful run in Buffalo and then to throw him under the bus after firing him to justify promoting Beane was strange direction to go.
Dumpster fire of a team
1 pick w/ years of drafting together & that’s all the owner can muster to justify promoting a bad GM?
If it wasn’t for terry (or rather Kim) pegula, the bills probably wouldn’t be in Buffalo anymore. It’s a shame Kim had her heart attack, she was the actual boss and she was damn good at it. It was a devastating loss for the team.
Terry isn’t built for on camera action. That said… I’m glad he cares enough to try something to get us over the hump. Everyone in buffalo knows, since he owns the sabres as well, terry pegula can sometimes let a losing situation linger. He can be slow to act. I’m glad, at the very least, he was decisive here.
Props to Terry for keeping the team in Buffalo, but this was a ridiculous press conference when A) you’re trying to woo potential head coaches and B) Keon Coleman is still on the team.
What HC sees the owner throw McDermott under the bus immediately after he’s fired and thinks, ‘Yeah, I want a piece of that’? For all of McDermott’s flaws, he had the Bills in the playoffs every year and gave you 9 good years. Treat him with respect and class.
As for Coleman, if you’re trying to build his confidence, congratulations, you’ve failed. If you’re trying to build his trade value, congratulations, you’ve failed. Can’t see Coleman coming back from this in Buffalo. So that’s a waste of a 2nd.
Nothing quite like the owner of a team trying to attract a new coach and staff, then throwing the previous coaches under the bus. If I were a coach deciding where to interview, why would I want to work for someone (Terry Pegula) that is willing to scapegoat his coaches? The player personnel staff need to step up and take some ownership in talent evaluation and build confidence with Pegula that they know what their doing.
McDermott wasn’t perfect, but to blame Coleman’s (lack of) productivity on him and his staff is a reach at best.
They will want to work for him for two reasons. First, Beane corrected the owner and obviously didn’t feel threatened doing so. That means Pegula isn’t an irrational actor who will just fire you, it just means he’s emotional about the team winning… which is ultimately a good thing. Second, they will work for him so they can coach Josh Allen, the best player in the NFL. It’s a dream come true job.
Nah. Your second point is on the money about Josh Allen but Pegula showed his butt today. No one wants to work for an over-emotional owner who doesn’t treat people with respect or class, and who makes public statements ripping players. Anyone taking this job will be doing so in spite of Pegula so they can coach Allen. Josh Allen covers up so many flaws in the Bills organization.
Plenty of evaluators said before the draft that Coleman had the body of a true outside X receiver, but that he would be better as a slot player because he couldn’t separate against press coverage. The Bills insisted on trying to make him a perimeter X anyway. I wonder if a change of role would help him.
“interesting press conference” is very kind. That was a S-show. Pegula is a fool.