The Buffalo Bills felt Stefon Diggs had to leave, no matter the cost

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Sometimes pulling the rug out is best for everyone involved

At some point soon, we’ll move past talking about the Buffalo Bills’ decision to trade wide receiver Stefon Diggs. As time goes on, it’s likely to become even more clear that Diggs will go down in Bills history as one of the franchise’s best wide receivers. That’s five years on, a decade, 50 years, and perhaps even further into the future. When you consider that Diggs’ time in Orchard Park, NY lasted but four seasons and 40 true home games (between the regular and postseason (sorry, London) it further sinks in how much of an incredibly positive impact Stefon Diggs made on the field.

It’s been said that all good things must end. Whether that’s true or not, such was the case for Diggs and the Bills. General managers of NFL teams don’t simply decide to move on from all-time receivers with wanton disregard for the on-field impact. It’s certain that’s the case for general manager Brandon Beane.

By adding Diggs, the team’s fortunes took an astronomical leap. Diggs’ arrival with the Bills met at the perfect time for quarterback Josh Allen to ascend toward his now-elite status as one of the NFL’s greatest signal callers and a current face of the league.

So, too, became Diggs as a national celebrity, one of the league’s premiere players and someone fans sought out whether than cheered on the Buffalo Bills or not.

There were Sports Illustrated Kids covers — those playful candids of Diggs and Allen. Then plenty of merchandise featuring the duo, from t-shirts to lawn signs... big heads lofted throughout stadiums, and even snow sculptures. Allen & Diggs were thee thing, and they were Buffalo’s thing.

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So to think moving on from Diggs was a simple and succinct situation is at best shortsighted by outsiders. True, there had been no shortage of “here we go” moments regarding Stefon Diggs over the last couple of seasons, mostly his escapades on social media.

Yet, the impetus for such theater seemed to appear in those final moments of the team’s playoff loss at home to the Cincinnati Bengals. Diggs’ animated sideline behavior seemed to beg Allen’s attention, with Diggs later storming out of the facility only to be urged back to the locker room postgame. During that offseason, most of what happened was shoved under a rug. Was it simply an ultra-competitive professional athlete caught in a vulnerable moment?

Then came last season’s offseason and mandatory minicamp. Diggs was a no-show and very much a topic of discussion. There were reported conversations, and dismissals approved by head coach Sean McDermott, who was decidedly not as typically guarded at the mic, and very visibly upset about the situation.

Also making an appearance that day were several Bills players who appeared caught off-guard by the entire situation. No more was that the case than when Josh Allen took the podium to address Diggs’ absence.

But as with things before, this, too, was largely swept under the rug. The next day, Diggs was back in the field house and team photos showed him with everyone. Disaster averted?

It was the offseason. Practice. The problems were nothing more than narratives fabricated by the national media. Yet, all along, there were those social media antics. Those posts left for the national media to decipher, only to be told by Diggs himself that things weren’t as they appeared. That he was happy to be a Bill, wanted to retire as one, and that Josh Allen was like a brother to him. Despite anything his brother, Trevon Diggs, implied to the contrary — Stefon Diggs had made it clear to all where he stood on things.

Diggs would state late into the 2023 NFL season that he was tired of answering the questions and had made his intentions clear. That may have been the case, but not to those outside of his circle. Sometimes it was song lyrics shared through Instagram stories, other times rhetorical statements sent out to the internet.

Then during Super Bowl week this past February, Diggs made his rounds along radio row, and infamously left a meteoric dent in his future with the Bills. Stating to Kay Adams that he was simply landing where his feet were, Diggs threw the gasoline on an unnecessary fire. Or at least that’s what most hoped was the case.

Diggs would continue his esoteric banter on social media, inciting outcry via posts stating his being ready for whatever and more.

Most recently, Diggs found reason to respond to an X/Twitter user with barely over 200 followers. He replied with a “You sure ?” to the user’s comments regarding Robert Griffin III’s video post discussing Diggs’ importance to Josh Allen’s success.

While it’s unfair to say that Diggs’ personal time and use of social media should have cost him his job in Buffalo, there are enough strange examples to build a narrative in support of such a claim. Why should someone of Diggs’ prominence and ability be so outwardly concerned by an innocuous statement from someone of relative obscurity on social media?

There’s enough evidence of left-field tweeting to bring more than a few people around to the idea that perhaps Diggs was once again ready to leave town, as he did with the Minnesota Vikings.

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. We’ve all heard it. Apparently, the fire had built enough to the point that Brandon Beane told the media earlier this week of other teams having come calling earlier this year about making a trade for Diggs. He made Allen aware. But fell short of doing so before news broke about the trade with Houston.

The decision to move on wasn’t made this week, nor was it realized as a result of pressure by media narratives or even Diggs’ own social media presence. Beane and the front office likely made a really difficult decision to say goodbye based on the cumulative effect of events during the last two seasons. But not only because of all that — which could be viewed as enough by almost anyone paying attention.

Once offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey was let go and Joe Brady took over in-season, Diggs’ production began to decline. We don’t know for sure why, but can ponder whether it was due to Brady’s intent to spread the ball around more, or desire to run different concepts that didn’t suit Diggs properly. Whatever the case, Diggs became a red zone afterthought following the team’s Week 12 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Zero touchdowns following the team’s bye week, while part of a system in which he garnered over 25% of the offense’s target share. Somehow, for some reason (or a multitude of them), the spark was missing.

Do you believe Diggs was unhappy with his trajectory? How could he not be? Yet at the same time, if he was unhappy playing alongside Josh Allen as the undisputed alpha dog at receiver, while winning the AFC East and making the playoffs every season with Buffalo — how would he be content landing anywhere else? Diggs is as competitive as people come. He’s driven by success and greatness is his exhaust. At almost 31, Diggs probably understands his window is closing, and he wants to play in the Super Bowl, undoubtedly as as a part of a winning team. Super Bowl rings often change lives for NFL athletes, especially the sport’s biggest names and personalities.

Is it likely that Stefon Diggs demanded a trade? It sure trends that way. Brandon Beane didn’t dispel the idea with his non-answer this week. All we do know is that despite being very much up against a troublesome cap situation, Beane and One Bills Drive felt the best move for 2024 and beyond was to trade Diggs — to be done with him, his contract, and his very successful and important connection with Josh Allen.

Organizationally, the Bills felt Stefon Diggs had to go. There have been instances of this in the past, though Diggs “re-sets” things at wide receiver. The Eagles very quickly parted ways with Carson Wentz, as did the Atlanta Falcons with Matt Ryan, and even the Los Angeles Rams shuttling out Jared Goff. Each had major cap ramifications, yet in every case the team chose to bear the financial burden instead of whatever the alternate became by retaining those players.

Stefon Diggs now joins that list. And you know what? The Eagles, Falcons, and Rams all survived. Philly made it back to the Super Bowl, and the Rams won the big game with Goff’s replacement. While Diggs has been one of the two most important players to the Bills this era, he is not irreplaceable, no matter what anyone thinks.

Sometimes, replacing the poor chemistry that develops is a far bigger benefit than hoping for the same sort of success buried in the past. We can’t be certain that what unfolded last spring was the tipping point, but considering it a point of no return for Diggs’ relationship with the Buffalo Bills is well within the public perception.

What happens next will tell us a lot about the makeup of these Buffalo Bills. It’s unreasonable to expect the same sort of connection and relationship that Allen & Diggs brought to the team — that personified its identity. But the time to evolve is now, if the goal is success on the biggest stage.

This offseason, Beane has shown a desire to infuse the roster with youth. The team must make the most of this year’s NFL Draft, and there are plenty of options to chose at wide receiver. Hitting on draft picks is vital with the loss of so much veteran talent and leadership. It’s also integral to building a better version of themselves in an effort to remain among the very elite in the NFL.

Thankfully, Stefon Diggs provided a brilliant blueprint for success.

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