CBS/NFL
Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs has been Josh Allen’s #1 target and most dangerous weapon for the majority of his career since being drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 2018.
Given what Diggs’ production has meant for Allen, you’d think he would’ve put his weight as the franchise QB behind keeping the 30-year-old pass catcher in Buffalo.
Instead, however, Allen sounded relatively unbothered by Diggs being shipped out of town, as he used vanilla phrases such as “nature of the business” when describing him being traded to the Houston Texans.
“It’s definitely hard to part ways with a guy that’s been very instrumental in our success here over the last four years. And again, I can’t thank him enough for when he came in and how hard he worked and what he taught me along the years,” Diggs said to reporters earlier this week.
“Obviously, I wish we could keep everybody. We’ve made a lot of changes this offseason, lost a lot of veteran leadership – [Diggs] being one of them. I guess that’s the nature of the business, and going into year seven now, it kind just is what it is. I don’t get paid to make changes on the team, I get paid to be the best quarterback that I can be and try to lead the guys on this team.”
While Diggs’ production was crucial to the team’s success, the way in which he’d make a show of expressing his frustration with Allen when things weren’t going well for the Bills became an almost yearly storyline.
In 66 career regular-season games across four seasons with the Buffalo Bills, Diggs had 445 catches for 5,372 yards and 37 touchdowns.
The Bills not only gave away Diggs in a trade but lost #2 wide receiver Gabe Davis to free agency, as the 25-year-old signed a contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Now with players such as Khalil Shakir, Mack Hollins, and KJ Hamler willing out the position, the Bills are expected to draft a wide receiver with their first-round pick, which comes at #28 overall.
Given their position towards the end of the round, the likes of Ladd McConkey (Georgia), Xavier Legette (South Carolina), and Adonai Mitchell (Texas). The Bills could also trade up to take a wide receiver as they’re armed with 10 picks in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, which will be held in Detroit from April 25-27.