Bills general manager Brandon Beane said Buffalo has turned down trade interest in wide receiver Keon Coleman and “hit the reset button” with the maligned No. 33 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
“We had some people connect with us in Indy, at least one team there, and a couple between there and the owners meetings. But we shut those down,” Beane said in an interview with 550 AM in Buffalo on Monday. “Our intention is for Keon to be here, and so I think the word was kind of out. So, no calls this weekend.”
The Bills traded for wide receiver DJ Moore last month and drafted UConn wideout Skyler Bell in the fourth round on Saturday. But Beane said Coleman has been a regular attendee at offseason workouts and expectations remain high for the jumbo wideout.
Former head coach Sean McDermott did not play Coleman in four games last season and he also was fined for tardiness. In 13 games, he caught 38 passes for 404 yards and four touchdowns.
New coach Joe Brady, elevated from his previous post as offensive coordinator to replace the fired McDermott, told Coleman he has a clean slate with the new staff if he takes advantage of the offseason.
“He’s put a lot of work in,” Brady said last week.
Coleman’s status on the roster and his performance was the subject of a behind-the-scenes tug of war as described by owner Terry Pegula when McDermott was fired. Pegula put the decision to draft Coleman on McDermott and his coaching staff, implying Beane was not on board with the pick.
“I’ll address the Keon situation,” Pegula said, jumping in front of a reporter’s question to Beane in January. “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 this coaching staff who felt strongly about the player. 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.”
Coleman, who turns 23 next month, has collected 67 catches for 960 yards and eight TDs in 26 games (18 starts).
