Getty The New York Giants aren't likely to trade for a Brian Daboll favorite.
Brian Daboll knows the New York Giants still need a true go-to wide receiver, but the player is more likely to come from the 2023 NFL draft than the trade market. That’s because there isn’t “much to” rumors the Giants will trade for Daboll favorite Stefon Diggs.
Diggs’ recent social-media activity had some hoping the three-time Pro-Bowler was angling for a move to MetLife Stadium. Yet, Dan Duggan of The Athletic is not convinced a deal for the Buffalo Bills’ wideout will happen: “I don’t think there’s much to it. Diggs might be unhappy (which seems to be a trend throughout his career), but it’s hard to see a Bills franchise desperate for a championship trading its second-best player in the middle of a prime Super Bowl window.”
Duggan also uses the same argument to explain why Giants fans shouldn’t get excited about trade chatter concerning other prominent wide receivers, including Tee Higgins of the Cincinnati Bengals. As Duggan pointed out, it makes little sense for teams competing for a championship every season to offload prime talent.
That’s why Daboll probably won’t reunite with the player he coached to stardom during two seasons as Bills’ offensive coordinator. It’s a shame considering Diggs certainly sounds open to a move.
Diggs Making Right Noises About a Trade
Diggs got the trade chatter started when he tweeted “comeeeeee anddddd rescue me…” on April 2.
Comeeeeee anddddd rescue me…
The plea prompted Diggs’ brother, Dallas Cowboys’ All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs to respond, “we could play each other twice a year.”
We could play each other twice a year 🍿
It didn’t require much of an inference to see what the brothers were hinting at. Not after Trevon liked a tweet asking “Stefon Diggs to the Giants?” according to Cover 1’s Ajay Cybulski.
Further fuel was added by Giants’ outside linebacker Jihad Ward tweeting (h/t Braulio Perez of GMenHQ) to ask Saquon Barkley to “Go Get Cuz That’s In Buffalo ….”
The dots are pretty easy to connect, and it makes sense for the Giants to be players for Diggs. His rapport with Daboll would transform a pedestrian passing game.
Diggs enjoyed the most prolific season of his career on Daboll’s watch in 2020, when he tallied 127 catches for 1,535 yards and eight touchdowns. Daboll made Diggs the feature of his offense, helping the dynamic receiver move the chains 73 times and gain 464 yards after the catch, per Pro Football Reference.
The most significant statistic was the 115.4 rating Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen had when targeting Diggs. It shows how Diggs can make any QB better, something the Giants would welcome for Daniel Jones after handing the latter a four-year contract worth $160 million this offseason.
There are ample reasons for the Giants to make the Bills an offer for Diggs, but unfortunately, there are just as many factors for why it won’t happen.
Cost a Barrier Giants Can’t Overcome
Acquiring Diggs would be an expensive proposition for both the Giants and Bills. Too expensive, according to Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports, “it would actually cost the Bills an additional $30 million against the salary cap if they traded Diggs before June 1.”
There’s also the not-so small matter of Diggs carrying a cap hit worth $14,875,111 for 2023, per Spotrac.com. The 29-year-old’s base salary also jumps to $18.5 million a year from now.
Perhaps general manager Joe Schoen works out a way for the Giants to extend themselves enough to afford Diggs. Honestly though, why would he when he’s already improved Jones’ supporting cast for a fraction of the price?
Schoen signed wideout Parris Campbell from the Indianapolis Colts in free agency and traded a third-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders for Pro-Bowl tight end Darren Waller. The Giants can continue retooling their contingent of pass-catchers via the draft, where Schoen might find USC star Jordan Addison available with the 25th-overall pick.
The Athletic’s Charlotte Carroll noted how “Addison has drawn Stefon Diggs comparisons,” so this pick would tick a lot of boxes for the Giants.