Getty Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs at Hard Rock Stadium on January 07, 2024.
The Buffalo Bills are in the midst of a major restructure ahead of the 2024 NFL season. After releasing six veterans to get cap-compliant, Buffalo also said goodbye to numerous players in free agency.
Amid all the changes, Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs remained quiet. He traveled to Paris Fashion Week and is busy promoting his new clothing line, Liem Homme.
While there was chatter of Diggs possibly wanting out of Buffalo after they were eliminated from the playoffs, the 30-year-old shot those rumors down. However, Diggs sent out a cryptic message on X, formerly known as Twitter, that caused a frenzy on social media.
“Ready for watever,” he posted on March 15.
Ready for watever.
Users online tried to guess what he meant by this message. The post quickly racked up over 9,000 likes with fans hoping it meant a trade to their respective team was imminent. For Bills Mafia, accustomed to Diggs sharing cryptic posts, they had more of an eye roll reaction.
Diggs could simply “be ready” to play alongside a vastly changed receivers room next season. Wide receiver Gabe Davis signed a three-year, $39 million contract with Jacksonville Jaguars. Trent Sherfield, with whom Diggs was particularly close, signed a one-year, $1.79 million deal with the Minnesota Vikings. The Bills released Deonte Harty two weeks ago.
Of course, it’s not all goodbyes. On March 14, the Bills signed former Washington Commanders wide receiver Curtis Samuel to a three-year, $24 million deal.
Financially Speaking, There’s No Way Stefon Diggs Exits Buffalo in 2024
GettyBills wide receiver Stefon Diggs at SoFi Stadium on December 23, 2023.
While speculation over a Diggs trade circulates, financially that’s near impossible. Cutting or trading Diggs before June 1 would cost the Bills over $31 million in dead cap. After June 1, they could save nearly $20 million on next year’s cap, but have north of $20 million in dead money for the 2025 NFL season.
If the Bills and Diggs are in line for a break up, it won’t happen until 2025. In order to take caution, The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia urged Buffalo not to restructure his contract this season.
“Diggs will be 31 next offseason and restructuring his deal basically guarantees he’s on the roster in 2025 as well, when he turns 32 during the season,” Buscaglia wrote. “If they restructured his deal this year for savings, the Bills would have to add nearly $8 million to Diggs’ already $27.3 million cap hit in 2025 to move on next offseason.
“His age alone should give pause, and there may be a recipe for internal combustibility if the Bills take a step back next year. The Bills may do the restructuring anyway and target 2026 as their ‘out year’ with Diggs, but it may be best for their 2025 cap health to avoid it if they can.”
Diggs is still playing at a high level. He finished the regular season with 107 receptions for 1,183 yards and eight touchdowns. However, his minimized role in the back half of the season was noticeable. His production dipped simultaneously with his snap count.
However, the four-time Pro Bowler silenced the curiosity over his usage after catching 7-of-8 targets for 87 yards in the regular season finale. He tallied 7-of-9 catches for 52 yards in the Wild Card round. While Diggs was expected to break out against the Kansas City Chiefs, especially with Davis out, his contributions came up short.
Oh my god this angle is even harder to watch
Against the Chiefs, Diggs caught 3-of-8 targets for 21 yards. He fumbled and then dropped his first two targets. After the loss, Diggs was asked if he had a minute to talk, per The Athletic’s Matthew Fairburn. “Hell nah,” he said.
Bills GM Remains Committed to Stefon Diggs as Their No. 1 Wide Receiver
GettyBills wide receiver Stefon Diggs at Highmark Stadium on January 15, 2024.
Speaking to reporters after the season ended, Brandon Beane made it clear Diggs remains quarterback Josh Allen’s top target. “Stef’s, he’s a No. 1 receiver. I firmly believe that, not wavering off of that,” Beane said.
“Listen, we have to continue to put weapons out there to keep teams from bracketing him or, you know, locking him down in different ways to take him away. They know you are going to want him.
“Stef can still play. I’m sure he would love to have that deep ball again. He’d be the first to tell you. He’s super competitive, he’s going to work his tail off this offseason. I know there’s various reasons or questions on this or his production, all that, but I still see Stef as a No. 1 receiver.”
During the NFL Scouting Combine a few weeks ago, Florida State prospect Keon Coleman mentioned how Beane spoke about Diggs in their interview.
“(The Bills) were asking me, ‘How would you handle not coming in and just handling the wheel? You’re going to have guys like Stefon Diggs there.’ I was like that would be great for me,” Coleman said. “I get to learn from a guy of that stature that’s been in the league for a while, doing it consistently.”