Getty Doug Whaley speaks to reporters at the Buffalo Bills team facility.
Doug Whaley had a big swing and a miss on his prediction about Stefon Diggs’ future with the Buffalo Bills, and now fans are letting him know about it.
Whaley, the former Bills general manager, predicted earlier in the week that the team may end up having to trade Stefon Diggs if they could not afford the pay raise many believed the All-Pro receiver had earned. Just a day after Whaley’s prediction the Bills took care of business, extending Diggs’ contract by four years and ensuring that he will retire with Buffalo.
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Fans Troll Whaley
Appearing on Sirius XMNFL, Whaley said he didn’t believe the Bills had the ability to pay Diggs what he deserved. The Bills receiver had two years and $35.9 remaining on his contract, but many believed he earned a raise that would put him on par with his peers, Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill.
The Bills delivered, giving Diggs a four-year deal with a reported $104 million. After the news broke, many Bills fans took to Twitter to needle Whaley about his failed prediction.
“A day after former Bills GM Doug Whaley said the Bills would have to trade Stefon Diggs because they don’t have the money to extend him, Brandon Beane gets a deal done less than 24 hours later,” one fan tweeted. “Coincidence? I think not!”
Doug Whaley said the Bills should consider trading Stefon Diggs and Brandon Beane was like whelp, I guess we need to sign him to an extension immediately.
Best thing I’ve seen floating around social-mediaverse today.
Whaley: “Bills can’t afford Diggs…”
Next day…Bills have signed Diggs to a 4 year extension…
Whaley had been criticized for some of his spending decisions while at the helm in Buffalo from 2013 to 2017. In 2017, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell compiled a list of the 25 worst contracts over the past six years, and specifically singled out Whaley for some of his deals.
“The Bills are the only team in the league with three players in the top 25, and a fourth (Patrick DiMarco) just narrowly misses the list at 29,” he wrote. “All four of those contracts were handed out under the tenure of general manager Doug Whaley, who did not lack for largesse before being fired in April.”
Diggs Excited to End Career in Buffalo
Some Bills fans were starting to get nervous about Diggs’ future with the Bills, partly due to Whaley’s prediction and also some cryptic social media posts from Diggs that hinted at him being unhappy with his current deal.
Diggs erased any doubt about his feelings toward the team and its fans after signing his contract extension. He spoke highly of the franchise, saying he was looking forward to ending his career in Buffalo.
IT’S OFFICIAL‼️
We’ve signed @StefonDiggs to a four-year contract extension: t.co/Allsw5Az0v
“I felt like my next spot was my last spot. I wanted it to be my home, and I wouldn’t want to ever go anywhere,” Diggs said. “So anticipating that, it was important to me, especially in the first year and the second year, you just felt like you’re kind of building that family. And it’s hard to do that when you have a job and you try to stay professional, but you get those relationships like the one I have with Josh [Allen] and the other guys on the team. It’s just like, alright, it’s starting to feel a lot like home. You don’t want to leave it.”
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