His position wasn’t helped by ownership, either, when Terry Pegula abdicated responsibility for the Coleman selection to fire coach Sean McDermott while defending his decision to retain general manager Brandon Beane in January.
Buffalo went into damage control mode after those comments, with both Beane and new coach Joe Brady making sure to express confidence in and show appreciation for Coleman ahead of the 2026 season. But the numbers don’t lie: Coleman will have to produce at a higher rate to keep his job with the Bills, a team that has yet to assemble a truly threatening receiving corps since the departure of Stefon Diggs and has no time to waste in its pursuit of an ever-threatening Super Bowl appearance.
Coleman hasn’t commented on the matter before Tuesday, but it’s clear he was listening.
“I’m not afraid of s—,” Coleman said. “I know what they say, I hear it. I just don’t care, you know what I’m saying. None of them are going to try to lace them up and try to stand in front of me. People are upset and they’re going to say what they want to say at the end of the day. My job is to come in here, put my shoes on and lace them up and prove my job.”
Buffalo’s leadership has repeatedly praised Coleman’s work ethic in 2026, and Brady followed that playbook Tuesday, expressing excitement surrounding Coleman’s potential production in the upcoming campaign.
“Keon is, the way he approaches his day, he knows some of the things that happened last year, he had them,” Brady said. “He knew coming into this year it’s a second chance. I made sure when I got the job he knew he was going to be here and he was going to be a part of our offense. I’m excited for him to step up in this offense and take over for Josh and do those things.
“…Love the work ethic, love the way he’s been doing it right now. Again, he’s only had one day to go against the defense. So it’s a lot of ways up and just the approach, but that’s been the biggest thing is getting a professional mindset. He’s done everything we’ve asked of him so far.”
As is the case with any late May media offering, those words are nothing more than offseason talk. The time comes this summer for Coleman and Co. to prove it.
Judging by his comments Tuesday, Coleman is aware of the urgency.