Getty The Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane (L) gives a more detailed update on wide receiver Stefon Diggs' possible contract extension (R).
Following a flurry of free agency over the past few weeks, the Buffalo Bills continued making moves on Monday, March 28, re-signing offensive lineman Ike Boettger and Ryan Bates for the 2022 NFL season. However, one of the lingering issues that Buffalo has yet to address is a contract extension for Stefon Diggs.
The team’s No. 1 wide receiver still has two years left on his contract and while the Bills general manager Brandon Beane said less than two weeks ago that he was in no rush to restructure Diggs’ deal, he was singing a different tune while speaking to the media on Monday.
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4th straight 1000-yard season.
What’s your favorite @stefondiggs play from 2021?
“I think the world of Stef, I think what he’s brought our team has been great,” Beane said, per ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg. “He’s been great for Josh [Allen]. He’s been great for our offense and his leadership has stepped up and we want to see [Stef] in Buffalo for years to come.”
Beane announcing that he wants to make sure the two-time Pro Bowler remains in a Bills jersey for the foreseeable future was music for many fans’ ears. Even more promising, Beane revealed more details about the process and timeline of reworking Diggs’ contract.
One Bills Live host Chris Brown tweeted, “Brandon Beane asked about odds of a contract extension for Diggs: ‘We’ve had an open dialogue since the season ended. Stef and I have talked a couple of times. He’s got a really good agent that I’ve dealt with before. Contracts get done when they’re supposed to get done.'”
Beane Received Criticism for His Previous Comments on Diggs’ Contract Extension
Brandon Beane appears in no hurry to do a Stefon Diggs contract extension.
I know that seems to worry many of #BillsMafia, but it doesn’t the #Bills GM.
“I don’t see that being an issue.”
Ten days ago, Beane was asked during a press conference if or when he’d restructure Diggs’ deal. Beane answered by saying that he was in no rush to get that done right now:
We’ve got Stefon for two years. We know that. We’ll, at the right time, we’ll work with his reps and see if there’s something to be done that makes sense to him. It’s gotta be fair and gotta makes sense for him. But Stef has been great… He’s a winner. He’s all-in on winning. And sure, everyone wants to get paid but he wants to be on a winning team. And I think he’s been the best version of himself so I don’t see that being an issue.
However, Beane’s statement was met with high criticism and a warning from NBC Sports‘ Mike Florio.
On March 27, Floria wrote that Beane’s plan to wait may blow up in his face. He mentioned how quickly the 28-year-old receiver was able to leave Minnesota in 2020 after announcing he wanted out. “In a matter of hours, the Vikings had a deal in place with the Bills,” Florio wrote.
“They addressed quarterback Josh Allen’s deal after three years with the team, even though they still had Allen under contract for two more years. Diggs could be thinking, ‘They didn’t wait for Allen. Why wait for me?’… The right way to handle it would be to get him taken care of sooner than later, before he begins to sour on the Bills the way he soured on the Vikings.”
How Big Will Diggs’ Contract Extension Be?
GettyBills wide receiver Stefon Diggs exits Highmark Stadium on January 15, 2022 in Buffalo, New York.
Stemming from the five-year, $72 million contract Diggs initially signed with the Vikings in July 2018, he has one of the largest cap hits at $17.917 million in 2022, per Spotrac.com, and in 2023, Diggs will be in the final year of his contract, during which he’s set to earn $18 million. While that’s a lot of money, it’s below what other top receivers are making in the league.
Since the offseason officially started, ex-Chiefs star Tyreek Hill signed a three-year $75 million contract with the Miami Dolphins, making him the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL. Diggs will likely be looking for a similar deal.
Urgency over Diggs’ contract first arose after superstar receiver Davante Adams signed a five-year, $141.25 million contract with the Raiders, as there’s fear that the Maryland alum, who’s the same age as Hill, will price out of the Bills’ cap the longer they wait.
Based on Beane’s recent statement, however, it seems it’s no longer if the Bills sign Diggs to an extension, it’s when.
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