April 25, 2024. The Buffalo Bills were on the clock with the 28th pick in the first round of the NFL Draft. Seeing multiple players who fit their perceived needs, the Bills decided to trade down and acquire more picks. That move, as a standalone activity, is often the best advice; however, in this case, the Bills agreed to make the trade with the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs—the team that continued to eliminate the Bills from the AFC playoffs each year. With the pick, the Chiefs, of course, selected electrifying wideout Xavier Worthy from Texas. After a second trade down from pick 32 to pick 33, the Bills ultimately drafted Florida State wideout Keon Coleman.

From coast to coast, pundits and fans alike wondered publicly why the Bills would help the Chiefs acquire Worthy, the record-setting speedster who would become another arrow in Andy Reid’s quiver. The Chiefs’ glaring weakness was horsepower in the wide receiver room, and suddenly it appeared that Bills GM Brandon Beane had just handed them the keys to a Cadillac. Beane would later go on to explain that the Bills didn’t have any players with first-round grades left on their board, blah blah blah, but as the events unfolded, the draft value didn’t add up. It became clear that Worthy and Coleman would forever be tethered to one another.

Part of that is because it’s not the first time a first-round trade connected the stories of the Bills and Chiefs. In 2022, the Bills were reportedly hot on the trail of Washington cornerback Trent McDuffie when Kansas City swooped in front of them in a trade with New England. After the Chiefs landed McDuffie, the Bills felt pressure to trade up two slots to select another cornerback and came away with Kaiir Elam. McDuffie is now an All-Pro with the Chiefs, and Elam started just 12 games in Buffalo. A frequent healthy scratch with the Bills, Elam was traded to Dallas this past spring.

One draft-night trade forever linked Xavier Worthy’s rise with Keon Coleman’s uphill fight.

Then, of course, the big kahuna: in 2017, the Chiefs and Bills executed the trade that would change the landscape of the entire NFL forever. Kansas City sent two first-round picks and some scraps for the Bills’ selection in order to land Patrick Mahomes. Buffalo had just hired head coach Sean McDermott, but instead of beginning their new regime with the selection of a quarterback, they elected to trade down and stick with Tyrod Taylor at the helm. Mahomes is Mahomes, and the Bills selected Josh Allen a year later (with their own first-round pick, not the Chiefs’ pick).

Worthy and Coleman didn’t choose this. They probably connected during the 2024 NFL Combine process and even shared a hug and swapped jerseys on the field after the Bills’ 30–21 win in Buffalo last November. The Chiefs were sure to feature Worthy in their two games against Buffalo last season (though they didn’t have much choice, if we’re being honest). In the regular-season matchup, Worthy caught four passes for 61 yards and a touchdown, and during the rematch in January, he reeled in six receptions for 85 yards and a score while also chipping in two carries for 16 more yards. Coleman was inactive during the November game with a wrist injury, but he did play during the AFC Championship Game, pulling in just one catch for 12 yards.

Back to draft day: Beane must have had his reasons. Worthy brings an extremely specific skill set to the table, and the Bills already employed Khalil Shakir, a 6’0″, 190-pound waterbug. Perhaps Beane was particular about finding Allen a big target, and he certainly found that in Coleman. The 6-foot, 215-pound Coleman presents a serious matchup problem for smaller cornerbacks. But he also struggles to create separation in his route running and has faced public criticism for that this week on 89 with Steve Smith Sr., the podcast hosted by the former All-Pro wideout. “He ain’t the guy. Can’t get separation. Can’t get off the jam. Doesn’t have it. You can’t teach a dog how to bark. You either got it or you don’t,” Smith said.

Thus far, it appears the Chiefs won the trade. Coleman still has time to turn the tide, but that will need to happen sooner rather than later for him to make an impact. Worthy has already helped guide the Chiefs to one Super Bowl berth, and the trajectory of the two teams is less than certain. Both the Bills and the Chiefs enter Sunday’s game out of first place in their respective divisions; however, the Chiefs are scorching hot (particularly on offense) since Worthy returned from a shoulder injury he suffered in Week 1. Meanwhile, Buffalo’s offensive identity in 2025 hinges on James Cook and the run game, not on Coleman. It will be interesting to see Coleman’s on-field response to Smith’s scathing words. The Bills will desperately need him to make plays to keep Steve Spagnuolo’s defense honest in their efforts to clamp down on Allen and Cook.