Stefon Diggs

Texans’ Offer Changed Bills’ Stefon Diggs Plan

April 3rd, 2024 at 2:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

Cutting the cord on a productive but stressful Stefon Diggs period, the Bills are eating the most dead money ever brought on by a wide receiver. They accepted a Texans offer centered around a 2025 second-round pick, effectively resetting at wide receiver during an offseason that had already seen the AFC power part with a few veteran pieces.

The Bills, however, were believed to be planning to keep Diggs for the 2024 season. Despite the headaches the talented wideout had been known to cause, The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia and Dianna Russini indicate GM Brandon Beane had Diggs in his plans — as he had said previously this offseason (subscription required). While decision-makers often backtrack on such statements via subsequent trades, the Bills were still aiming to retain Diggs as his extension years started.

Given the $31.1MM in dead money hitting Buffalo’s 2024 cap sheet, it makes sense the team was moving forward with the perennial Pro Bowler. But the Texans called about the nine-year veteran Tuesday, per The Athletic, and the Bills discussed the deal to the point ownership was brought in on the matter. Buffalo agreed to the terms this morning, sending Diggs to Houston to team with Nico Collins and Tank Dell around C.J. Stroud‘s rookie contract. As the Texans load up around a rookie contract, the Bills are retooling around their veteran QB accord.

While the structure of Diggs’ 2022 extension will put the Bills in a tough spot this year, the team looks to have viewed a future second-rounder — initially a Vikings pick obtained by the Texans last month — as sufficient value for a player who would have been less likely to fetch such an asset as he aged. Diggs will turn 31 this season. Considering Keenan Allen commanded only a fourth-rounder last month, Diggs bringing back a second-round choice — one tied to a Minnesota team that just lost Kirk Cousins — brought decent value for a player who struggled down the stretch of his age-30 season.

Beane said (via the Buffalo News’ Ryan O’Halloran) the Bills are “by no means” taking a step back, but the four-time reigning division champs have moved on from several longtime starters this offseason. They released seven-year safety starter Jordan Poyer, five-year center bastion Mitch Morse and injury-prone All-Pro cornerback Tre’Davious White. Buffalo also has Micah Hyde, who joined Poyer in being part of Sean McDermott‘s first free agency class, unsigned. The team has a new safety plan, and David Edwards is poised to take over at center. But wide receiver has gone from a top need to a glaring deficiency.

Other Diggs inquiries have come in, Beane said (via ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg), but the Bills — who parted with a package fronted by a 2020 first-round pick — viewed this one as enough to move on. The calls on Diggs date back to last year, with Beane declining to confirm (via the Boston Sports Journal’s Mike Giardi) if the wide receiver requested a trade. The eighth-year GM informed Josh Allen about the prospect of a trade before it was finalized, Getzenberg adds.

This move guts Allen’s receiving corps. Although the Bills saw promising early returns from 2023 first-round tight end Dalton Kincaid, Diggs and Gabe Davis operated as Allen’s Nos. 1 and 2 wideouts for the past two seasons. That came after Davis’ four-TD game in the 2021 divisional round. Diggs delivered two 1,400-plus-yard seasons as a Bill, leading the NFL in receiving yards upon being acquired in 2020. A notable slump took place to close last season.

Diggs did not score a touchdown over the Bills’ final seven regular-season games and averaged just 41.0 yards per game in that span. He closed the year with a three-catch, 21-yard showing against the Chiefs — a game Davis missed — and dropped a well-placed Allen pass on a potential game-winning drive. This may well have convinced Bills management their top wide receiver was no longer worth the trouble.

Diggs’ antics in the past wore on the Bills, per The Athletic’s Tim Graham, who adds the team’s power brokers were ready to move on. Diggs’ various social media posts were an issue in Minnesota as well; hours before the trade, he also fired off a tweet questioning Allen’s value compared to his own. The mercurial receiver has been seen griping on the sideline, and after he stormed out of the team’s locker room following the Bills’ upset loss to the Bengals in last year’s divisional round, a still-unsolved minicamp controversy surfaced after Diggs left the team’s facility last June. That required some careful management from McDermott, Beane and Allen.

Still, the Bills lost a No. 1 target and cap space. Before the savings from the White post-June 1 cut hit, the Bills are down below $4MM in cap space. The team holds the No. 28 overall pick in this year’s draft. After using its top draft asset to acquire Diggs four years ago, the team will almost definitely dive into another WR-heavy draft to address the position with a cheap contract to align with Allen’s $43MM-AAV deal.

Latest On Stefon Diggs’ Future With Bills

February 3rd, 2024 at 11:03am CST by Ben Levine

After finishing with at least 100 receiving yards in five of his first six games, Stefon Diggs didn’t put up nearly the same numbers through the final three months of the season. In his final 11 regular-season games, Diggs averaged only five catches for 51 yards per contest, and he scored only three touchdowns over that span. Things didn’t get any better in the playoffs, with the Bills wideout hauling in only 73 receiving yards. This includes a playoff loss to the Chiefs where he had a season-low 21 receiving yards and dropped a crucial fourth-quarter pass.

Considering his drop in production, some have speculated that Diggs may be frustrated in Buffalo and looking for a change. Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda.com says that’s not the case, as Diggs isn’t expected to ask for a trade. Diggs discussed his future in Buffalo while attending this week’s Pro Bowl Games, marking the first time he’s talked with reporters since Buffalo was eliminated from the playoffs. The receiver was generally noncommittal about his future, just stating that he’s “ready to go no matter which way it goes.”

“I feel like I take it day by day,” Diggs said (via ESPN’s Stephen Holder). “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.

“I can’t tell you what the future holds, but I’m still being me.”

Diggs is a questionable trade/release candidate just by virtue of his contract. He’ll account for a $27.35MM cap hit next season, and there’s three years remaining on the four-year extension he inked back in 2022. The Bills would face significant dead cap if they cut the veteran, and his incoming salary would likely be untenable for many trade suitors.

As a result, Pete King of Football Morning in America believes that GM Brandon Beane and the Bills front office will ultimately do “major surgery” on the wide receiver’s deal, and the writer suspects that Diggs wouldn’t be happy about that arrangement. Pauline agrees that a restructured Diggs contract would partly help the cap-strapped Bills, but he’s also wary of how that move would impact the player’s attitude.

For what it’s worth, it doesn’t sound like the Bills are particularly anxious to get rid of Diggs. Beane told reporters that he expects the two-time All-Pro receiver to continue leading their depth chart in 2024.

“He’s a No. 1 receiver,” Beane said (via Joe Buscaglia of 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.”

AFC East Notes: Becton, Diggs, Dolphins

August 1st, 2023 at 4:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

His place as one of the NFL’s most injury-prone players notwithstanding, Mekhi Becton made some pointed comments when insisting he was a left tackle in May. This forced Robert Saleh to address said comments. Several weeks after predicting he would return to his former spot and win the job, the fourth-year blocker now said (via the New York Post’s Brian Costello) he would be fine playing right tackle again. Becton, who has missed 33 straight regular-season games, said he underwent the wrong surgery to repair his September 2021 knee injury. He indicated he was not fully healed when he went down again, shortly after being moved to right tackle, during the Jets’ 2022 training camp. Becton, who missed time during this year’s camp with more knee trouble, has returned to the field and is expected to play in a limited role in Thursday’s preseason opener, Saleh said.

Duane Brown, 37, has been viewed as the favorite to win the Jets’ left tackle position. But the 16th-year veteran, who underwent shoulder surgery this offseason, remains on the team’s active/PUP list. Billy Turner had received first-team left tackle reps in front of Becton earlier in camp, though the ex-Packers and Broncos right tackle has also been working on the right side with Max Mitchell.

Here is the latest from the AFC East:

The Bills have made a concerted effort to put Stefon Diggs questions in their rearview mirror. The Pro Bowl wide receiver said he is not angling for more say in the team’s play-calling. “For me to just want more say in the offense, it’s crazy because I play receiver,” Diggs said recently. “I don’t care what play is called. I can’t get up there and say, ‘Call this.’ It’s a lot of outlandish, obvious things where people [are] throwing out there or people were saying as far as my role.” A report suggested Diggs was unhappy with his role in Buffalo’s offense. Although Diggs did not say what caused Sean McDermott to send him home from a minicamp day, the ninth-year veteran has since said he was never at odds with Josh Allen and said he and the Bills are on good terms. Diggs’ $24MM-per-year contract runs through 2026.
Although it would seem Mike White had a virtual guarantee to become the Dolphins‘ backup quarterback, he entered camp in a battle with 2022 third-stringer Skylar Thompson for the gig. White signed a two-year, $8MM deal ($4.5MM guaranteed) in March, and the Dolphins were believed to be enamored with the ex-Jet as Tua Tagovailoa insurance. Thompson has extended a promising offseason into training camp, per the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson, who adds last year’s QB3-turned-emergency starter is being given a legitimate opportunity to become the backup. Considering Tagovailoa’s injury history, Miami’s QB2 post stands as one of the league’s most important reserve spots.
Daron Payne, Jeffery Simmons, Dexter Lawrence and Quinnen Williams have signed long-term deals this offseason, creating a fairly set price range for the Dolphins as they negotiate a Christian Wilkins extension. While the team wants to extend the fifth-year D-tackle and is optimistic on doing so, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler notes no significant momentum has developed in these talks. Wilkins is tied to a $10.75MM fifth-year option salary. The sides have been talking for months.
Dolphins target Cedrick Wilson Jr. has been connected to trade rumors. Multiple reports indicated the team was willing to part with Wilson, who signed a three-year deal worth $22.1MM in March 2022. Dolphins GM Chris Grier said the team is not shopping Wilson, despite reports to the contrary, and the sixth-year receiver said (via Jackson) he is not seeking a trade. Wilson’s $5MM guarantee for 2023 will complicate a trade; the Dolphins would save $7MM by moving him. Wilson did not live up to his contract last year, totaling 136 receiving yards in 15 games. While Trent Sherfield is no longer in the mix, the Dolphins have added Chosen Anderson and Braxton Berrios this offseason.

Stefon Diggs Addresses Issues With Bills; WR Wants To Finish Career With Team

July 26th, 2023 at 11:59am CST by Sam Robinson

Count Stefon Diggs as part of the “let’s move on” sect of Bills regarding a potential dustup between the Pro Bowl wide receiver and the team. Diggs said Wednesday the situation is now “water under the bridge.”

Sean McDermott reiterated Wednesday the team and Diggs are in a good place, and Josh Allen has long said this storyline was overblown. Diggs’ issues with the Bills’ play-calling and his role in the offense are believed to have been behind his June disagreement with McDermott, one that led to the wide receiver being dismissed from the team facility during minicamp. When asked about what caused McDermott to send him home last month, Diggs declined to elaborate (Twitter link via ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg).

Diggs, 29, answered in the affirmative when asked if he still wanted to retire as a member of the Bills, Getzenberg tweets. Four years remain on the star wideout’s contract, a $24MM-per-year deal agreed to during the 2022 offseason. This 2023 saga was not believed to be contract-related, as Diggs remains in the top five for receiver contracts. Since being traded to the Bills in 2020, Diggs has also drawn the second-most targets (484) in the NFL. That target number nearly matches his five-year Vikings total (534), so it is interesting the ninth-year veteran could be dissatisfied with his role in the Bills’ offense.

The former fifth-round pick led the NFL with 1,535 receiving yards in 2020 and topped 1,200 yards in 2021 and ’22. At the conclusion of the Bills’ divisional-round loss to the Bengals in January, however, Diggs stormed out of the locker room before some coaches had arrived and needed to be brought back. It is not known if Diggs harbored issues with the Bills for months leading up to minicamp or if new concerns cropped up, but all parties are now attempting to move forward.

Buffalo also pursued DeAndre Hopkins this offseason, but a rumor about how the former All-Pro would fit in an offense that goes through Diggs and now includes first-round pick Dalton Kincaid — a tight end expected to see extensive slot work — surfaced soon after the Titans landed the high-profile free agent. Nevertheless, Diggs will prepare for his fourth season anchoring Buffalo’s high-octane attack.

Latest On Bills WR Stefon Diggs

July 5th, 2023 at 10:05pm CST by Ben Levine

When we last checked in on the Stefon Diggs situation in Buffalo, quarterback Josh Allen was describing the issue as “not football related” despite contrary reports claiming the wideout was frustrated with his role on offense and a lack of input on play-calling.

Allen was back at it during an appearance on Bussin With the Boys, stating that the media overreacted to Diggs’ psuedo-no-show during the first day of mandatory minicamp.

“The media has blown this so far out of proportion,” Allen said (via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com). “We are in minicamp. We’re not playing a game for four months. He doesn’t show up for one day, he’s still there, coach asked him to go home, they’re in talks, they’re trying to resolve some things. They’re still talking about it. Let it go. There’s no reason to continue talking about it.”

Diggs didn’t show up for voluntary workouts with the Bills, and he reportedly left the Bills’ first day of mandatory minicamp. Despite Sean McDermott initially telling reporters that he was “very concerned” about the Diggs situation, the coach quickly reversed course, describing his subsequent conversations with the wideout as “great” while excusing the absence.

As Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com notes, the initial report hinted that Diggs left the Bills facility that day, but Allen’s most recent quotes indicate that the receiver may have been sent home by McDermott. Diggs may have been hinting at this mischaracterization on social media, leading Florio to wonder if things are actually okay between the two sides.

Diggs apparent dissatisfaction with the Bills could be tied to his inability to connect with offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, who replaced Brian Daboll this past season. The wideout still ranked in the top-five in targets (154), receptions (108), yards (1,429), and touchdowns (11) in 2022, but in the team’s final six contests (including playoffs), Diggs was limited to 63 yards per game while hauling in only a single touchdown. After finishing Buffalo’s playoff loss to the Bengals with four catches for 35 yards, Diggs reportedly stormed out of the locker room before coaches arrived and needed to be ushered back in.

Bills WR Stefon Diggs Reportedly Frustrated By Role In Offense, Input In Play-Calling

June 18th, 2023 at 10:25pm CST by Rory Parks

While Bills quarterback Josh Allen recently classified the source of wide receiver Stefon Diggs‘ discontent with the team as “not football related,” Ben Volin of the Boston Globe has heard otherwise. Volin, citing a source “close to the Bills’ locker room,” says that Diggs is frustrated with his role in the club’s offense and his input in play-calling.

Diggs did not participate in April workouts, but since those sessions were voluntary, there was no real reason to think much of his absence, despite plenty of speculation that he was unhappy. Alarm bells did go off in earnest on the first day of mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, when Bills head coach Sean McDermott told the media that Diggs was not in attendance and that he was “very concerned” as a result.

Shortly thereafter, Diggs’ agent, Adisa Bakari, pointed out that his client had met with McDermott and GM Brandon Beane over the prior two days, and on Wednesday — when Diggs participated in practice but not in team drills — McDermott definitively declared the matter resolved and said Diggs’ Tuesday absence was excused.

McDermott’s sudden about-face did not do much to quell the rumblings about Diggs’ frustration, especially since we still have not heard from the player himself. Volin’s report, which was published today, has added a little context, but there is still plenty of uncertainty.

Indeed, as Volin notes, Diggs was ranked in the top-five in targets (154), receptions (108), yards (1,429), and touchdowns (11) in 2022. Since coming to Buffalo via trade prior to the 2020 season, Diggs’ 484 targets are second only to Raiders wideout Davante Adams. As such, it is difficult to see how the Bills could increase his role in the offense, though Volin also observes that, over the final six contests of the 2022 campaign (including playoffs), Diggs averaged only 63 yards per game and caught just one TD pass. After the team’s divisional-round loss to the Bengals in January — a game in which he recorded four catches for 35 yards — Diggs stormed out of the locker room before some coaches had arrived and needed to be brought back.

As for Diggs’ reported discontent with his voice in Buffalo’s offensive play-calling, Volin simply said that the Maryland product may not have “connected as well” with OC Ken Dorsey as he had with Brian Daboll, who left the Bills to take the Giants’ HC job last year. Still, even if the Bills were inclined to part ways with their star receiver — which the Super Bowl-ready club is certainly not — it would be difficult to imagine Diggs finding a better situation for himself.

McDermott ultimately cancelled the third and final day of mandatory minicamp on Thursday, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). Therefore, we will likely need to wait until sometime in training camp to hear Diggs’ take on the situation and where he currently stands.

McDermott: Stefon Diggs Issue Resolved

June 14th, 2023 at 10:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

After beginning their minicamp with Stefon Diggs drama stemming from unknown issues, the Bills look to be on better footing with their top wide receiver.

Diggs practiced during the team’s Wednesday minicamp session, though not during team drills, and Sean McDermott offered a more definitive tone regarding the situation after expressing concern Tuesday. McDermott said the Bills are in a good spot with Diggs and considers the matter resolved, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com tweets.

Diggs left the Bills’ Tuesday minicamp session after not participating, doing so after not attending the team’s voluntary OTAs. McDermott, however, said Diggs’ absence Tuesday qualifies as excused, per the Buffalo News’ Katherine Fitzgerald (on Twitter). Although McDermott described he and Diggs’ conversation Tuesday as “great,” the seventh-year Bills HC said the veteran wideout needed a break from said conversation and was dismissed.

Conversations between Diggs and GM Brandon Beane and wide receivers coach Adam Henry, a new hire, also took place, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com adds (video link). Regarding his concern about Diggs’ status Tuesday, McDermott attempted to clarify by indicating he was merely concerned by a missed practice.

“There’s a lot things out there that aren’t accurate. Let me be clear — Stef did everything he was asked to do,” McDermott said, via SI.com’s Albert Breer (on Twitter). “He was here Monday, executed his physical on time. … We got to a point yesterday where we felt like we all needed a break and some space.”

Josh Allen classified the Diggs matter as non-football-related, and it presumably does not pertain to his contract, which was signed last year. Diggs, 29, signed a four-year, $96MM deal that included $47.99MM guaranteed. Rapoport confirmed Diggs’ contract is not the issue.

The Bills acquired Diggs in March 2020, doing so after the former Vikings draftee went through a turbulent 2019 season that involved a dustup with the team. The sides mended fences, and Diggs finished the ’19 season by helping the Vikes to the divisional round. But multiple tweets depicting dissatisfaction came out the following March. The Vikings dealt Diggs to the Bills for a package headlined by a first-round pick, and he has become one of the NFL’s best receivers while in Buffalo.

Allen calling Diggs an essential part of the Bills’ blueprint is accurate, given the explosive pass catcher’s production. Diggs led the NFL with 1,535 receiving yards in 2020 and topped 1,200 yards in 2021 and ’22. At the conclusion of the Bills’ divisional-round loss to the Bengals in January, however, Diggs stormed out of the locker room before some coaches had arrived and needed to be brought back. While McDermott expressing confidence the parties will move past this summer disagreement is noteworthy, Diggs’ views on the matter will be needed before this chapter concludes.

Bills’ Stefon Diggs Returns To Practice

June 14th, 2023 at 11:51am CST by Adam La Rose

JUNE 14: This unusual situation may be trending in the right direction for the Bills. Diggs is practicing during the team’s Wednesday minicamp workout, Buscaglia tweets. The Bills confirmed this as well (video link). That said, Buscaglia adds Diggs did not participate in team drills (Twitter link). It will be interesting to eventually hear what Diggs has to say regarding this matter. For now, the accomplished wideout is back with the team ahead of what would be a fourth season in Buffalo.

JUNE 13, 9:54pm: Bakari also wants clarity on McDermott’s concern, via 13WHAM’s Mike Catalina (on Twitter), adding to this situation’s strangeness. While the Pro Bowl wideout’s agent indicated Diggs would be back Wednesday, it is not known if he will work out with the team. Josh Allen confirmed the situation is not football-related.

“I know, internally, we’re working on some things not football related, but Stef, he’s my guy,” Allen said, via The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia. “This does not work, what we’re doing here, without him. “I think there’s the football piece, one, and stuff that happens due to football, and I’ll just kind of keep it at that. I think, for the most part, it has to do with more teamwork than anything.”

12:43pm: Most of the players currently absent from mandatory minicamps are steering clear of their respective teams as part of ongoing contract disputes. That does not appear to be the case for Bills wideout Stefon Diggs, but he is nevertheless missing from practice today.

Diggs is absent from minicamp, as head coach Sean McDermott stated on Tuesday. The latter declined to say whether or not the former was excused, but he added that he is “very concerned” the team’s leading receiver is not in attendance. However, Diggs’ agent Adisa Bakari has stated that the 29-year-old was at the team’s facility on Monday and plans to be present for the full minicamp (Twitter link via ESPN’s Adam Schefter). The Bills have since confirmed that Diggs was present Monday and, prior to practice, Tuesday.

Bakari added that Diggs met with both McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane over the past two days, which adds to the confusion surrounding this situation. Speculation has swirled, though, in the past few months with respect to Diggs’ level of satisfaction with the Bills and thus his long-term future in the organization. He has not spoken publicly since the team’s season ended in disappointing fashion with a home loss to the Bengals.

The former fifth-rounder has been as advertised during his three years in Buffalo following the trade which sent him out of Minnesota (something which itself was borne of his frustration with the Vikings). Diggs has posted 4,189 yards and 29 touchdowns since 2020, leading the league in both receptions and yards in his first Buffalo campaign. He earned first-team All-Pro recognition that season, and has been named a Pro Bowler three years in a row.

The Maryland alum put himself in line for a raise with those numbers, and he received it last offseason. Diggs inked a four-year, $96MM extension which moved him into the top five in the NFL in terms of annual compensation at the WR position. With finances not being at the heart of any potential issue he has with the Bills, it will be interesting to monitor how he and the team respond to today’s news.

Bills Notes: Hopkins, Miller, Diggs

April 21st, 2023 at 9:38pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Bills have frequently been named as a potential destination for DeAndre Hopkins. The Cardinals wideout has been on the trade block for some time now, and an addition at the position is expected on the Bills’ part either on the trade front or at the draft.

[Poll: Who Will Acquire Hopkins?]

Von Miller – who was active in trying to recruit Odell Beckham Jr. to Buffalo last offseason in particular – is again pushing for a significant WR move. Fueling that effort is his belief that Hopkins is eyeing a move to the Bills, something which the latter recently hinted at.

“You got a lot of guys coming in and out [of offseason workouts],” Miller said, via Nick Wojton of BillsWire. “I talk to Hop all the time. It’s kind of like the same thing with OBJ, you just never know until you know. Hop said he wanted to be Buffalo Bill – and you just never know until you get that DeAndre Hopkins signature on a contract. I’m not sure of what circumstances are or what’s going on with that. I would love to see DeAndre Hopkins be here.”

The Bills are in need of a wideout to ease Stefon Diggs‘ workload; they also represent a contender, something which is important for Hopkins as he prepares for a potential trade and adjusted contract. Fitting him in at his current 2023 cap hit ($29.9MM) would be highly difficult given the team’s current financial situation, but recruiting from Miller could help convince Hopkins to play his role in green-lighting a move.

Here are a few other notes from Orchard Park:

Miller himself is the subject of plenty of questions heading into 2023, of course. The 34-year-old is coming off a torn ACL which cut short his debut season in Buffalo, the first of a six-year, $120MM deal which brought him to the Bills. Miller said he has yet to resume football activities, but he remains confident at this point in his rehab that he will be available “early in the season” (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe). That falls in line with the team’s expectation dating back to January; Miller’s importance to the Bills’ pass rush means his return will be highly anticipated, but also that he surely won’t be rushed back to the field.
Voluntary workouts started this week for Buffalo, meaning that tracking their attendance was a notable exercise. Diggs was among the absentees, as stated by general manager Brandon Beane (via Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic, on Twitter). Many players skip the opening of offseason programs as part of ongoing contract disputes, but that isn’t the case for Diggs given the four-year, $96MM extension he signed last offseason. The decision by the 29-year-old to stay away from the team hasn’t led to any speculation as of yet, and missed time at this point in the spring usually isn’t harmful for star players from an on-the-field perspective. Diggs should be expected to join the team in the near future, though.

WR Rumors: Diggs, Texans, Panthers, Hamler

November 17th, 2022 at 11:13am CST by Sam Robinson

Week 10’s Vikings–Bills thriller featured Stefon Diggs‘ first game against his former team. The 2020 trade that sent Diggs to Buffalo and a compensation package headlined by a first-round pick (Justin Jefferson) to Minnesota became one of the great win-win trades in modern NFL history. Diggs voicing his frustration about the Vikings’ run-heavy offense in 2019 led to Bills interest, laying the groundwork for the 2020 swap. Diggs requested a trade in October 2019, but after meetings with Vikings brass, the sides agreed to shelve the matter until 2020, Tim Graham of The Athletic reports (subscription required).

After a season in which Diggs drew just 94 targets in 15 games, the Vikings worked with the wideout’s agent to find a fit. The Jets and Patriots reached out, and Graham adds the Texans were in the mix as well. A Texans trade would have been interesting, considering they ended up trading DeAndre Hopkins on the same day Diggs was ultimately dealt. Houston ended up acquiring Brandin Cooks later that spring. Diggs did not ask for a new contract from the Bills immediately. His camp worried an extension request upon arrival would scuttle a potential deal, Graham adds, but the Bills understood money needed to be moved to accommodate the trade asset. Buffalo did so later that summer. Diggs ended up playing two years on his 2018 Vikings-constructed deal before inking a four-year, $96MM Bills pact this offseason.

Both Diggs and Jefferson are 2-for-2 in Pro Bowls since the trade, with both heading toward more accolades this year. Jefferson will be eligible for a monster extension in 2023. Here is the latest from the NFL’s receiver landscape:

Although the Texans used their No. 1 waiver spot to claim Amari Rodgers on Wednesday, Field Yates of ESPN.com notes (via Twitter) the Panthers also submitted a claim. The Panthers have D.J. Moore and Terrace Marshall signed to long-term deals but recently changed up their receiver situation by trading Robbie Anderson. Houston now has Rodgers, a 2021 third-round pick whom the Packers cut this week, signed through 2024.
Injury problems have hindered the Broncos throughout the season, and their receiver situation — one already affected by Tim Patrick‘s training camp ACL tear — took another hit last week when KJ Hamler went down in practice. Hamler’s hamstring injury sidelined him for Denver’s Week 10 game, and Nathaniel Hackett said (via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, on Twitter) the third-year wideout is expected to miss “a few” more weeks due to the injury. A former second-round pick, Hamler is coming off a season marred by an ACL tear and a hip injury. The young deep threat drew interest at the trade deadline, but the Broncos opted to stand pat at receiver. Hamler has just seven catches for 165 yards this season.
Conversely, Jerry Jeudy is believed to have avoided a major setback. Jeudy suffered an ankle injury early in the Broncos’ Week 10 loss to the Titans; he was carted off the field. But the Broncos believe the former first-round pick dodged a bullet, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, who notes Jeudy could return this week. Jeudy, who also left a Week 2 game due to an ankle injury before returning in Week 3, has 30 receptions for 449 yards this season.

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