Getty Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs and quarterback Josh Allen at Highmark Stadium on July 31, 2021.
After another disappointing playoff ending for the Buffalo Bills, one insider believes it could be time for a major change.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay suggested that the Bills could go through a roster shake-up this offseason after falling short of the AFC Championship game for the third straight year, unloading wide receiver Stefon Diggs to a rising AFC contender in exchange for a massive haul of draft picks.
Bills Load Up on Draft Picks
Kay suggested the Bills could part ways with Diggs, who ended the year on a slump that included seven straight games without a touchdown catch — the longest stretch of his career without a score. The Bleacher Report writer noted that there has been some rising discontent between Diggs and the team, and this could be the offseason the two part ways for good.
He suggested the Colts could be willing to pay a high price, sending their first-round draft pick (No. 15 overall) along with a fourth-round pick to the Bills. Kay noted it would be a worthwhile investment for a team that fell one win short of winning the AFC South.
“If there is a breakup, one viable landing spot for the 30-year-old is with the Indianapolis Colts, a franchise that desperately needs to bolster its receiving corps for 2024,” Kay wrote. “With Michael Pittman Jr. hitting free agency and due for a major contract extension, the Colts may want to have a contingency plan in place via a Diggs trade in case their incumbent No. 1 receiver walks.”
The move could allow the Bills to snag a potential replacement for Diggs, or use both picks to move up the board for a top receiver like Marvin Harrison Jr.
Insiders Believe Trade Not Likely
A number of insiders have pushed back on the idea that the Bills could trade Diggs, pointing mainly to their financial situation. Kay suggested that the Bills “can save $19 million” by trading Diggs, but they actually would incur a major cap hit that would make it more expensive to trade Diggs than keep him. SI.com’s Ralph Ventre called the trade rumors “nonsense,” noting that the Bills would incur a $31 million dead cap hit by trading Diggs.
“(Josh Allen) is always gonna be family no matter how it shakes…”
@stefondiggs speaks on his relationship with QB Josh Allen.
Full interview on YT @heykayadams
t.co/N4cxyAewl4
Diggs has also cleared up some of the concerns Kay raised about his future with the team. Speaking to reporter Kay Adams on “Up & Adams” on February 8, Diggs tried to put an end to the speculation that he wants to leave the Bills by reiterating that he wants to stay in Buffalo for the rest of his career.
“Yeah, I mean I told (the media) interview after interview I wanted to retire a Bill,” Diggs said.
Trading Diggs would also blow a gaping hole in a receiving corps already expected to see some big changes. No. 2 receiver Gabe Davis is headed to free agency, and the cap-strapped Bills will likely be priced out of bringing him back for another season. Despite his late-season dropoff, Diggs was still a favorite target for quarterback Josh Allen and had the most targets in the team’s two playoff games.