Photo by- //instagram.com/stefondiggs
Stefon Diggs is traded for the second time in his career.
The Buffalo Bills are trading Diggs to the Houston Texans along with a 2024 sixth-round pick (No. 189 overall) and a 2025 fifth-rounder in exchange for a second-round pick in 2025, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Wednesday, according to sources. familiar with the situation The Bills have since announced the deal.
Following the 2020 trade from Minnesota, Diggs cracked the 1,100-plus receiving yards mark in each of his four seasons in Buffalo, including leading the NFL with 127 catches and 1,535 receiving yards in his first season with Josh Allen.
“I cannot begin to express the amount of love and respect I have for the city of Buffalo. For the best four years of my life, the city has welcomed me with open arms. I am forever grateful to all of you and the [Bell] organization!,” Diggs said Wednesday. “These few years have created something special that will always hold a place in my heart,” he wrote on Instagram in the evening. BillsMafia, so many great memories made over the years. Those games were crazy because of you. Unfortunately, good things come to an end until we meet again. Do 14.”
Photo by- //instagram.com/stefondiggs
The addition of Diggs is a big step for the Texans, who added another weapon in quarterback C.J. Stroud. The 30-year-old joins Nico Collins and Tank Dell to form one of the best receiving trios in the NFL. Diggs’ ability to win one-on-ones and get open on the line will give Stroud a dependable veteran. All three receivers should complement each other well, giving offensive coordinator Bobby Slovic the ability to threaten defenses at every level.
Diggs’ presence will help ensure that freshman running back Joe Mixon sees the light box for most of the season. Toss in tight end Dalton Schultz and a good offensive line, and Houston’s offense is headed into the 2024 campaign.
Credit general manager Nick Caserio for making moves this offseason to cash in on a young Pro Bowl quarterback. Stroud is set to continue his upward trajectory after an award-winning rookie campaign.
In Buffalo, the club appears ready to move on from the mercurial receiver.
For most of his career in Buffalo, Diggs was a target hog, with Allen often finding his way as Diggs dished out 5,372 yards and 37 TDs in four campaigns.
However, after Ken Dorsey was fired and Joe Brady was promoted to offensive coordinator last season, Diggs saw his role diminish. Over the last seven regular season games and two games in the playoffs, the wide receiver has never reached the 100-yard mark and has consistently dipped into the 60s about 90% of his playing time.
Diggs’ late offseason drama, including missing part of mandatory minicamp, was also a consideration, prompting Sean McDermott to comment that he was “very concerned” about the widespread absence. The club and Diggs moved on from that offseason squabble, but things never looked comfortable.
The trade digs leave Buffalo north of $31 million in dead cap space, per Cap, and given little return in the trade (not even a 2024 pick), it was clear the Bills were motivated to move on.
“I think we just want to appreciate the time that we had Steve here, the years that we had, and again, you don’t want to get into every factor of every step,” Bills general manager Brandon Beane told reporters on Wednesday. “It’s not about the player, we’ve traded other players here, we’ve acquired players, and he’s one of them. Everything you do, you think is the best decision, and you take into account the pros and cons of every decision. That, and don’t take it lightly. “But you always make it in Bill’s best interests, and that’s what we’re trying to do here, and, you know, we’ve taken action.”
Shipping Diggs to Houston leaves a big hole in Buffalo’s receiving corps, which also lost Gabe Davis in free agency to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Allen’s top targets currently include Khalil Choucair, Curtis Samuel, Mack Hollins, and K.J. Hamler and Justin Shorter.
Most prospects peg the Bills for adding a first-round receiver. After the Diggs news, that cynicism will only increase.
Jettisoning Diggs continues an offseason overhaul in Buffalo that saw the Bills move on from Diggs, Davis, Mitch Morse, Jordan Poyer, Tre’Davis White and others.
We knew we’d see a different Bills club in 2024. Diggs Shipping Out underscores that fact with an exclamation mark.
