After an offseason of trade speculation around Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs, one insider is putting an end to the drama.
Diggs raised a sensation last summer with a series of cryptic posts in the months following his sideline meltdown during the team’s playoff defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals, and the drama culminated when he was sent home on the first day of mandatory minicamp in June. Though there was no further turbulence throughout the season, Diggs ignited suspicion this week with some ambiguous comments about his future with the team.
“I feel like I take it day by day,” Diggs told NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe during the Pro Bowl Games. “Obviously, there are many changes and events taking place. I can’t really put the cart before the horse, you know what I mean? But I have a tremendous offseason ahead of me to put in a lot of effort and build around what we have and are doing.
“I can’t tell you what the future holds, but I’m still being me.”
Caught up with Pro Bowl WR Stefon Diggs 1-on-1 today about abrupt end to Bills season including plays he wants back, his decrease in usage, relationship with Josh Allen + whether he believes he will be back in Buffalo in 2024: pic.twitter.com/jsSSH4Xz6T
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) February 2, 2024
The answer sparked a new round of trade speculation from several media sites, but SI.com’s Ralph Ventre dismisses it, citing the team’s tight cap position as the primary reason.
‘Stop the Nonsense’
“Stop the bullshit. “The Buffalo Bills will not trade receiver Stefon Diggs before the 2024 season,” wrote Ventre.
Ventre also stated that “the salary cap reality makes the idea of moving him a non-starter,” as the Bills would pay a $31 million dead cap charge if they choose to move on from Diggs.
That aspect may not be apparent in much of the trade conjecture about Diggs. Maurice Moton of Bleacher Report speculated on prospective trade destinations, but falsely said that the Bills would “save” $19 million by trading Diggs after June 1. This offseason, the Bills have a salary cap constraint, and dealing Diggs would simply exacerbate the situation rather than provide a solution.
Bills Show No Sign of Giving Up on Stefon Diggs
The Bills have remained publicly committed to Diggs, despite his late-season downturn in which he went seven games without a receiving touchdown, the longest span of his career. Despite Diggs’ problems, head coach Sean McDermott and quarterback Josh Allen voiced confidence in him.
After the season ended with a divisional playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Bills general manager Brandon Beane stated that Diggs remains the team’s #1 receiver.
“He’s a No. 1 receiver,” Beane told The Athletic. “I strongly believe that. I’m not changing my mind about that. Listen, we need to keep putting weapons out there to prevent teams from bracketing him or, you know, shutting him down in various ways to take him away.”
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