Post Diggs Trade Feelings
It’s been about two weeks since the Bills moved on from Stefon Diggs. I was surprised but not shocked that Brandon Beane and the Bills have moved on after 4 seasons and a massive contract extension signed in 2022. I know it creates a void at the WR1 position and, on paper, weakens the group as a whole. Yes, paying a player $31 million to not play for you isn’t ideal, but I still love the move.
By trading Diggs and eating $31 million Beane and the organization sent a pretty clear message in my eyes. We want players who want to be here and are bought in with what we are trying to accomplish. Diggs put up great numbers as a Bill and played a big part in Allen’s early development by giving him a bonafide #1 WR to make his life easier. He did that and more, but over the last year and a half, that relationship seemed to deteriorate rather quickly.
Buffalo received a 2nd round pick for a player who did not seem happy to be in Buffalo and at the end of last year saw a large drop off in production in Joe Brady’s offense. Whether by design or due to wearing down, Diggs became expendable. They received better compensation than Dallas and L.A. received when they moved on from their high-salary veteran receivers (Cooper, K. Allen). They eat $31 million this year and start with a clean slate next year. If Diggs played out this year he would have counted $27.3 million against next year's cap so the Bills are taking their medicine this year.
Buffalo’s offseason moves seemed to be preparing for this to happen. The team chose not to touch Diggs’ contract which would have helped with their salary cap predicament. They signed Curtis Samuel, who in my opinion is a less proven, and younger version of what Diggs brought to the team when they traded for him. They moved on from almost every player over the age of 30 (currently 4 players 31 and older on the roster) this offseason. Mack Hollins and La’el Collins are now both the oldest players on offense at 30 years old.
I think this is a very promising move for the Bills offense moving forward. By trading Diggs, they have removed 10-12 targets a game that a WR1 commands. This will allow Allen to spread the ball around and not have to worry about feeding a player who defenses are trying to take away. I expect Kincaid, Samuel, and Shakir, to be the immediate beneficiaries with Cook and Knox getting added targets as well. They will most likely be adding at least 2 more WRs to the unknowns of Hamler, Hollins, Isabella, and Shorter. There should be a lot of competition in camp.
I do expect the Bills passing attack to take some time to develop in the Post-Diggs Era. They will struggle at times and make people question the decision but I expect it to be beneficial in the long term. With that said, it is a sad day as a Bills fan when you think back to how everything changed when Diggs arrived. He seemed energized to be in Buffalo and prove everyone wrong for how things went at the end of his time in Minnesota. The instant relationship he had with Allen was fun to watch as they appeared to genuinely care for one another on and off the field. We will probably never know the full truth of how or why things unraveled. I hope Diggs does well in Houston and for the rest of his career except for when he faces the Bills.
This won't be the last time Allen loses his #1 receiver. This is a major turning point in Allen’s career to show that he is capable of raising the level of play of the talent around him. I am excited to see what he can do while spreading the ball around.
