Buffalo Bills receiver Stefon Diggs looks on during a game against the New England Patriots.
After an offseason filled with trade speculation surrounding Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs, one insider is putting a hard stop on a repeat of the drama.
Diggs caused a stir last offseason with a series of cryptic posts in the months following his sideline blow-up during the team’s playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, with the drama coming to a head when he was sent home on the first day of mandatory mini-camp in June. Though there was no further drama during the season, Diggs once again sparked speculation this week with some vague comments on his future with the team.
“I feel like I take it day by day,” Diggs told NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe at the Pro Bowl Games. “Obviously, there’s a lot of changes going on, a lot of things going on. I can’t really put the carriage before the horse, you know what I’m saying? But I got a great offseason in front of me to put a lot of work in and kind of build around what we got and what we’re doing.
Caught up with Pro Bowl WR Stefon Diggs 1-on-1 today about abrupt end to Bills season including plays he wants back, his decrease in usage, relationship with Josh Allen + whether he believes he will be back in Buffalo in 2024:
“I can’t tell you what the future holds, but I’m still being me.”
The answer kicked off a new round of trade speculation from some media outlets, but SI.com’s Ralph Ventre is shooting it down and pointing to the team’s tight cap situation as the main reason.
“Just stop the nonsense. The Buffalo Bills are not trading receiver Stefon Diggs prior to the 2024 season,” Ventre wrote.
Ventre added that “the salary cap reality makes the idea of moving him a non-starter,” as the Bills would incur a $31 million dead cap hit if they choose to move on from Diggs.
That point may not come across in much of the trade speculation surrounding Diggs. Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton speculated about potential trade destination but incorrectly stated that the Bills would “save” $19 million by moving Diggs in a post-June 1 trade. The Bills face a salary cap crunch this coming offseaon, and trading Diggs would only add to the messy situation, not offer a solution.
Bills Show No Sign of Giving Up on Stefon Diggs
The Bills have remained publicly committed to Diggs, even as he suffered a late-season slump that saw him go the final seven games without a receiving touchdown — the longest stretch of his career with a score. Head coach Sean McDermott and quarterback Josh Allen expressed confidence in Diggs throughout his struggles.
After the season ended with a divisiona-round loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Bills general manager Brandon Beane stressed that the team still sees Diggs as their top receiver.
“He’s a No. 1 receiver,” Beane said, via The Athletic. “I firmly believe that. I’m not wavering off of that. 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.”
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Insider Slams ‘Nonsense’ Trade Rumors Surrounding Bills WR Stefon Diggs