Getty Stefon Diggs #14 of the Buffalo Bills looks on during warmups before the AFC Wild Card playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts at Bills Stadium on January 09, 2021 in Orchard Park, New York.
Stefon Diggs is starting just his second season playing with the Buffalo Bills, but the wide receiver felt at home just a few weeks after first joining the team last year.
During the 2020 NFL season, the 27-year-old wide receiver quickly became the heart of the Bills offense, tallying 127 receptions, 1,535 receiving yards, and eight touchdowns. But talent aside, Diggs also quickly became part of the Buffalo family in Orchard Park.
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Prior to the start of the 2021 season, Diggs was voted as one of the team captains, a position he never earned with playing with his former team, the Minnesota Vikings. It’s quite a role reversal for Diggs, who back in 2019, was considered toxic to the Vikings locker room — missing practices and meetings, publicly airing his grievances about the team.
During a press conference on September 8, Diggs admitted that at the end of his tenure with the Vikings, he wasn’t the best teammate.
“Coming from my old team — I hate talking about old stuff — but up to me wanting to leave and go to another place, I was a good teammate,” Diggs said. “It wasn’t until I wanted to do something else is when I became a bad teammate.
Stefon Diggs understands why he caught the reputation as a bad teammate on way out of Minnesota.
He looked at the #Bills as a fresh start.
“When I get there I’ll show them who I am and we’ll go from there.”
Now, for the 1st time ever – – HS, college, pros – – he’s a captain.
“So as far as when things are going good, it’s all good until it’s not good. So for me, even then, I always tried to play with a chip on my shoulder and lead my team the best way I know how.”
Diggs was aware his reputation preceded him after the Bills acquired him, and he’s grateful that his new team didn’t ice him out.
“Coming here I had a fresh start,” Diggs continued. “It was fair for people to make their assumptions or their assessments from the outside looking in. That’s fair. I just look at it as, when I get there, I’ll show them who I am, and we’ll go from there. As far as my new chapter with my new team, things are going pretty good.”
Diggs Quickly Became Close Friends With QB Josh Allen
Getty Stefon Diggs (L) and Josh Allen (R) of the Buffalo Bills shake hands on the field during training camp at Highmark Stadium on July 31, 2021 in Orchard Park, New York.
While it can take time for a quarterback and a receiver to find a rhythm, Diggs and the Bills’ franchise star Josh Allen immediately found they had natural chemistry both on and off the field.
Diggs initially got to know Allen during informal workouts and playing Call of Duty during the offseason, per BuffaloBills.com. But the two cemented their relationship once the season officially started.
“After those first couple of games, I was like, ‘Damn, this is my new home,'” Diggs said of playing in Buffalo.
During his first year with the Bills, Diggs became All-Pro and a Pro Bowler for the first time. As for the 2021 NFL season, Diggs is looking to achieve the same goal as Allen and his teammates, to win the Super Bowl.
Bills Take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1
GettyStefon Diggs #14 of the Buffalo Bills runs with the ball after a reception against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the third quarter in the game at Bills Stadium on December 13, 2020 in Orchard Park, New York.
The Bills have the advantage of kicking off their 2021 NFL season at home at Orchard Park on Sunday, September 12 where they will be taking on Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This is the third time in the past three seasons the two teams will play against each other, and the Bills took the win in the last two matchups.
Last season, Buffalo beat Pittsburgh by 11 points in Week 14. In 2019, the Bills won by seven points in Week 15, which secured the team’s spot in the playoffs.
Sunday’s game also marks the first time Highmark Stadium will be filled with fans since 2019, a development that Allen suspects will make a huge difference for the opposing team’s offense.
“To have Bills Mafia here with us this year – I know they’re excited,” Allen said. “But as players we’re equally as excited get them back in the stands. They’ll have an impact on the game whether they think so or not. Those third downs if you can force one foul start or one delay of game or one penalty, that can change the course of the game.”
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