There are OTAs to talk about and minicamp to look forward to, but otherwise things are relatively quiet on the NFL front. That makes a prime time to talk about improvements that might come, and one of the methods that’s sure to get attention is proposing a trade or two. Hell, I’m writing about one right now, so you can see it works.
The trade proposal in question comes from ESPN, where Seth Walder is one of a few writers trying to figure out landing spots for the likes of Bears tight end Cole Kmet
(because the Bears are stacked at TE), Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. (because of his potential, even if his career has been injury-marred and disappointing in the extreme to this point), and Giants pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux (he’s good but falling down the depth chart).
There’s also Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman. At 6’4” and 215 pounds, Coleman has intriguing size and was a yards after the catch monster in his rookie season, as his 7.4 YAC average would have ranked fifth among all receivers had he reeled in enough catches to qualify. He has eight touchdowns in just 26 NFL games, 67 grabs for 940 yards, and obvious talent heading into his age 23 season. There should be plenty to like there.
Yet Coleman also repeatedly ran afoul of the Bills coaching staff, getting parked for what were termed as disciplinary reasons multiple times in his first two seasons and falling out of favor despite the shaky state of Buffalo’s receiving corps; he was a healthy scratch late last season. There were missed blocks and costly drops, but beyond that it appeared to be chiefly behind the scenes woes keeping Coleman from having a massive impact.
The fact that Bills owner Terry Pegula took some gross, unwarranted shots at Coleman and Sean McDermott after firing the head coach in a press conference with general manager Brandon Beane fueled speculation the team would trade the young receiver. That hasn’t happened yet, but despite new head coach Joe Brady strumming his guitar and singing his best tune about harmony, it still could.
That brings us to ESPN’s offer. Seth Walder proposes that the Falcons could give up a 2027 fourth round pick and get Coleman and a 2028 sixth rounder. The rationale from Walder is below:
Seth Walder’s offer:
- Bills get: 2027 fourth-round pick
- Falcons get: Coleman, 2028 sixth-round pick
Why this deal makes sense: The Falcons are a logical fit because of where they are as a team — starting over at head coach and GM, with long-term uncertainty at quarterback. They can afford to take a shot on Coleman’s upside, and he would immediately add value to a receivers room that doesn’t feature much after Drake London (Olamide Zaccheaus, Jahan Dotson and third-round pick Zachariah Branch). And if Coleman breaks out in Year 3, the Falcons would have him under contract for 2027, too.
I’m not at all opposed to taking a shot on Coleman, who I think would add needed size to this receiving corps and has been an effective short-to-intermediate option in his career. I do think the Falcons would balk at surrendering a fourth round pick to add him, especially because they have Drake London, are clearly high on Jahan Dotson as their potential #2 receiver and have Zachariah Branch and Olamide Zaccheaus to feed, as well. The team would also presumably need to feel good about whatever friction between the Bills and Coleman existing not spilling over into Atlanta.
Adding Coleman as a potential building block option with Dotson on a short-term deal, OZ on a one-year pact, and nobody beyond London and Branch clearly here for the long haul has plenty of appeal, especially given his youth. I think if the Bills were motivated to move him, it would take a 2027 pick swap, rather than the Falcons only getting back a 2028 late selection. They clearly want 2027 to be a year where they’ll have the resources to significantly build up the roster, and while Coleman might help in that regard, chances are they’d like the rookie contract given that they swung for a potential starter in Kendal Daniels in that round in 2026.
What I’d say, then, is that if there’s any realistic shot of the Bills moving Coleman, Ian Cunningham should certainly pick up the phone. I can’t imagine that the Bills would move him for much less than this offer, however, and I can’t imagine the Falcons giving up this much or more to actually get a deal done.
What say you?
