Retired Bills' WR Stevie Johnson Prepping Keon Coleman for Fireworks in 2026

Former fan favorite Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson was known for a lot of things during his time in the NFL. Frequently vacationing on “Revis Island,” as well as questioning God for a dropped pass that inadvertently ended up starting the creation of Bills Mafia, are chief among them.

However, what the “Why So Serious” wideout is hoping to be most known for nowadays is helping others, which includes working with his HBHF mentorship program.

Handle business, have fun.

“It’s grown tremendously, you know, especially in (outside) communities (and) not just in my hometown. I’ll just start with Buffalo: a shoutout to our collaboration with the YMCA William-Emslie.

“We do our community giveaway every August and a back-to-school drive with Pancho’s Army, you know? And, that’s all a part of the mentorship: it’s everything to me,” former NFL wide receiver Stevie Johnson said in an interview with Chris Brown and Steve Tasker on One Bills Live on Tuesday.

Oct. 14, 2012; Glendale, AZ, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver (13) Stevie Johnson against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“It’s my passion more than even being a coach, you know? I would love to be (back) in the NFL as a mentor for the Buffalo Bills . . . (or) for any team. Because, as we see in this world, yeah our skills, and our sports, and our sports life will be (here) for X amount of time.

“But, then you’ve still got a whole life to live. And, how are you going to manage? Are you prepared for when you transition off the field?”

Former 2024 second-round slowly falling out of favor in WNY

Keeping that in mind, although his work has now also slowly started to stem from spheres outside of his favorite sport—at least at the NFL level for the time being, anyway—the one time seventh-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft has gravitated toward one particular professional receiver this offseason, and it’s a player who has been the center of attention in Orchard Park, New York, ever since he was drafted by the Bills with the 33rd overall pick—the first selection in the second round—of the 2024 NFL draft: Keon Coleman.

Some love him, but most—like former Panthers wideout Steve Smith Sr., as well as possibly Bills owner Terry Pegula—have some other, less fuzzy feelings toward the former Florida State Seminole.

The entire NFL world knows it. The elephant in the room really doesn’t need to be discussed much further.

Simply put, it’s been a bumpy start in Buffalo for Coleman: nobody is denying that. And, that includes the young wide receiver himself, who just turned 23 years old in May.

Oct 5, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman (0) makes a catch and then fumbles the ball against the New England Patriots during the first half at Highmark Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“I mean, I don’t got really nothing to say about (people’s comments). My job is to come out here and play football. . . . I ain’t really have a reaction to it,” third-year wide receiver Keon Coleman said when speaking to the media during OTAs in Western New York earlier this spring.

“Getting benched for four games, or something like that? (It’s) unacceptable. I ended (the season) off on a decent note: got a touchdown (against the Broncos). So, that was—I wouldn’t even call that a confidence boost—it was just a positive to end the season on, but we lost.

“So, it’s (just) another negative to erase that. But, I mean, I don’t need self-motivation. I know what I’m here to do. I know what I’m capable of doing.”

Time for Coleman to turn it around before it’s too late

With that said, regardless of age or his supposed skill set, it’s time for the Opelousas, Louisiana, native to grow up off the gridiron . . . and to put up and show out on it, as well.

His off-the-field discrepancies have been widely documented during his first two years in Western New York.

And, the 6-foot-3, 213-pound wideout has just 67 receptions for 960 yards and eight touchdowns in 26 regular-season games since entering the league two years ago.

His production in the playoffs hasn’t been any better, either, as the former Seminole and Michigan State Spartan standout has just five receptions for 68 yards—and the one aforementioned touchdown reception against Denver this past January—in five career playoff outings, which included two starts.

So, while he does appear to have everything you look for in terms of size, strength, and athletic ability to play the position at the professional level adequately, although speed is still seemingly a question mark, having the tools in the tool shed, so to speak, isn’t enough.

Players must be able to put their attributes into action successfully—and routinely—on the field in the NFL in order to stick around in the league for the long haul.

And, in order to be recognized as one of the best, those same players must also be able to set themselves apart from the rest of the pack even further.

It’s the little details that can be the difference between a player having a cup of coffee with a franchise or having a 10-year sensational stay.

Young wideout using a former Bills receiver as a resource this offseason

Stevie Johnson knows all about that. He wasn’t given anything.

The former University of Kentucky Wildcat was the 224th overall pick by Buffalo 18 years ago.

Johnson was also the second receiver drafted that spring by the franchise behind former Indiana Hoosiers star James Hardy, who was selected by the Bills with the 41st overall pick in 2008.

However, by the time all was said and done with their playing careers in Buffalo, it was the seventh-rounder—not the second-round pick—who wound up sticking around for six seasons with the Bills, and eight in total in the NFL.

Meanwhile, Hardy, who tragically passed away at the young age of 31 by way of reported suicidal drowning back in June 2017, appeared in just 16 total games in his career and was out of the league after three seasons.

So, it’s not hard to see that Stevie seemingly knows what it takes to “make it” in the league.

After all, he’s practically a self-made man.

And, he’s trying to impart any wisdom that he can onto Coleman from his past experiences during an NFL career that consisted of 381 receptions for 4,764 yards and 34 touchdowns in 99 career games, which included a stretch from 2010 to 2012 where he had three straight 1,000-yard seasons for the Bills.

The pair worked closely together earlier this offseason in order to accomplish the goal of turning Coleman’s young NFL career around.

And, Johnson was impressed by the polarizing player, to say the least.

June 19, 2012; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson (13) looks for a pass during the Bills minicamp at the Ralph Wilson Stadium practice field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“He’s beyond (what I expected). I felt like he was the total opposite of what I was expecting to work with, you know? Because I never talked to Keon (before this offseason). I never had a personal relationship with him.

“I just assumed that he listens to the media, and he would hear me speak on (the) Buffalo Endzone postgame (show) so he (could) better his game,” Johnson added in his interview with Tasker and Brown on Tuesday.

“So, I never had a real relationship with him. And, what I heard was, ‘He’s coming to meetings late. He’s always having fun. It looks like he could care less when he was a healthy scratch.’

And, then—when I actually got to meet him—it was the total opposite.

“He was a masterful student of the game, you know? And, that’s where it kind of clicked (between us).”

Johnson’s checklist of corrections for Coleman stem from the court

Not only did Johnson and Coleman work on strengthening his game between the lines on the field, but they also focused on what’s occurring on a daily basis between the ears of Coleman: the mental side.

After all, that part is equally as important as the physical aspect of football.

Everybody in the NFL is gifted in terms of athletic ability.

So, how can you set yourself apart from the exceptional athlete standing beside you in your positional group on the roster or across from you on the field?

Well, any little edge helps.

And, the pair of wideouts share a connection that drove them closer during their workouts: basketball.

Both players share a passion for the sport, with Johnson spending plenty of time growing up playing on the courts in his hometown of San Francisco, California, as well as at Angelo Rodriguez High School in Fairfield, California, where he earned second-team all-conference honors during his two years of playing for the program, while Coleman actually dominated his way all the way to the NCAA Division-I level with Michigan State University when coming out of high school in 2021.

A dual-sport athlete for the Spartans, the Louisiana product eventually gave up his basketball dreams to further pursue football at Florida State.

And, the rest is history.

So, on that note, Johnson made sure to relay any helpful tips that he could to Coleman in order to help better translate his skills from the court to the grass.

The pair worked on particulars of the position such as creating better separation—both off the line and at the top of routes—as well as adjusting route tempo and body language, what to be looking for and thinking pre-snap, and many other finer points of being a professional receiver.

Johnson, who was often described as an unorthodox route-runner during his time in the league—particularly with his release packages—approached the task on the field like he was setting up a defender before driving to the hoop for a basket.

Although, instead of snatching ankles on the court, the California native was snatching passes against the elite of the elite in NFL secondaries on a regular basis.

Johnson was underappreciated by many, but not by his opponents

Just ask potential future hall-of-fame cornerbacks Darrelle Revis or Richard Sherman: they’ll tell you.

“Stevie Johnson gave me the longest day of my life,” Sherman once said during an appearance on the Green Light with Chris Long podcast.

“When I tell you it was the longest day of my life (I mean it). You ever been up by 30 and feel like you’re losing? That boy got me in the slot in the red zone, (and) this boy cooked me twice in the route.

“Who’s one of the best receivers that, like, nobody talks about? Just, if I needed somebody to get open on a play—and we had a certain amount of time—hey, I’m picking him. Third-and-five, (and it’s) Stevie Johnson: that guy’s getting open.”

Enough said.

And, with the type of shared background that Johnson and Coleman have, the soon-to-be 40-year-old former Bill knows that the team’s 2024 top draft pick can be even better than he was for the franchise.

Huge opportunity awaits Coleman this upcoming season

Everything is right there for Coleman: he just has to go out there and take it.

If even a sliver of Johnson’s advice can be of service to the young wideout, then there’s no telling where he can go this season and beyond.

“(Keon) can be the best. He can be considered one of the best because he has every tool. He’s got the height. He’s got the size. He’s got the speed. He’s got it so much to the point where people kind of overlook it now because they’ve seen all of the great traits (that he has).

“They just want to see it always (happen) on Sundays,” Johnson continued in his recent interview on One Bills Live.

“And, that’s pretty much what we worked on: how to make it happen, make it show on Sunday. . . . But, this kid—man—he’s got all the tools. Catch radius, he can catch it (from) anywhere because he’s (so) athletic. So, that’s why I say he can be one of the best.

“It was just (about) reconfirming what he was before he went to the Buffalo Bills. . . . He’s gotta go back to playing ball, and that’s what he can do. That’s what he’ll show.”

Buffalo’s franchise quarterback supports Coleman wholeheartedly

As for Coleman’s quarterback?

Yeah, Josh Allen’s seen the potential unraveling from his receiver this spring, too.

The franchise gunslinger knows what Coleman is capable of, and he hopes to see it all come to fruition this fall.

Buffalo needs it.

“He is—in my opinion—a different person. His mentality right now is awesome. His work ethic is off the charts. He’s doing all the little things the right way. I think guys see that, you know? I mean, I see that,” Buffalo’s franchise quarterback Josh Allen said in an interview on the Centered on Buffalo podcast with former Bills center Eric Wood at the end of May.

“And, that needs to be applauded. At the same time, it’s like we need this (from him) all the time, and I think he’s ready to give that to us. So, it’s been awesome to see. I know that Coach Brady and myself, we appreciate how hard he’s been working. So, (we’ve) just got to keep that rolling (with Keon all season).”

As for Coleman? He’s never been one to have too many words.

Josh Allen, Keon Coleman — Oct 6, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) celebrates with wide receiver Keon Coleman (0) after a touchdown during the third quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

And, even if he did, they wouldn’t do him any good at this juncture of his career. Nobody—teammates, coaches, fans, or media members—have any patience for further pleasantries regarding the former second-rounder.

Bills President of Football Operations and General Manager Brandon Beane, who brought in fellow veteran receivers D.J. Moore and Trent Sherfield, as well as rookie fourth-round pick Skyler Bell this offseason, doesn’t seem too keen on the idea of Coleman coming around, either, despite what head coach Joe Brady has said this offseason.

He could be off the roster sooner than later if he doesn’t produce.

2026 is a make-or-break season for Coleman

So, with the lessons learned from Johnson, the wideout is simply planning to put his head down this summer in hopes of coming out shining on the other end.

Pressure makes diamonds, right?

“(Stevie and I are) similar Bills players, similar backgrounds when it comes to sports we’ve played—how we move, how we see the game—so it’s like two knuckleheads going at it, you know?

“It’s two high-IQ guys that know (and) love the game, and we could talk ball for hours,” Coleman continued in his interview during OTAs.

“I mean, for me, it’s make or break it (this season). Sh--, you might not be here (otherwise). Simple as that. Simply put. And, I know what—like I said—I know what I’m capable of.

“So, if I fall anything short of that, I’m doing myself a disservice: and my team.”

Training camp begins on July 29 for Buffalo, with veterans scheduled to report the day before at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford, New York.

Coleman has shined in camp before.

The real test awaits him starting on Sunday, September 13, at 1 p.m. ET in Houston, Texas.

Much like in the coming days when people around the country will be celebrating during the Fourth of July weekend, fans will be expecting some fireworks on the field from the franchise’s former top pick in 2026.

If not, Coleman might be looking for employment elsewhere.

All of Bills Mafia will be watching with eager eyes.

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