The Buffalo Bills surprised the NFL world by trading superstar Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans on Wednesday, April 3.
Diggs, who signed an $96 million extension with Buffalo ahead of the 2022 NFL season, was under contract through 2027. While there were years of obvious tension between the Bills and their No. 1 wide receiver, a trade seemed nearly impossible until after the 2024 season.
But the split couldn’t wait. The Bills were willing to absorb over $31 million in dead money to immediately part ways. To facilitate the trade, Buffalo also sent Houston a 2024 sixth-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick. In return, the Bills received a 2025 second-rounder.
Diggs broke his silence on the abrupt departure on Instagram, writing a heartfelt goodbye to Bills Mafia. He wrote, “I can’t begin to express the amount of love and respect I have for the city of Buffalo ♥️💙. Four of the best years of my life, the city welcomed me with open arms. I’m forever grateful for you all and the @buffalobills organization!
“Something special was built over these years with some very special men, that will always have a place in my heart. Billsmafia, so many great memories created throughout the years. Those games were crazy because of you. Sadly good things come to an end until we meet again ♾️ 14.”
Bills fans are still processing the news. Diggs already deleted every other Instagram photo from his tenure with the Bills after the season ended, which he does every year.
Diggs excelled in Buffalo, earning his first All-Pro honors in 2020 and making four straight Pro Bowl appearances. Receiving passes from Bills quarterback Josh Allen, Diggs surpassed 1,000 receiving yards all four seasons. The Maryland graduate concludes his tenure in Buffalo with 445 receptions for 5,372 yards and 37 touchdowns.
Bills Decision to Trade Stefon Diggs to Houston Occurred ‘Rather Quickly’
Bills general manager Brandon Beane informed reporters on Wednesday that numerous teams reached out about acquiring Diggs over the years, but the deal didn’t come together until this week.
The Athletic agreed, “The deal came together rather quickly. According to a source briefed on the matter, the Texans presented the Bills with an offer for Diggs on Tuesday, which initiated a 24-hour period of internal discussions by the Bills about dealing their star receiver.
“Those discussions even involved ownership. The Bills agreed to the deal shortly before 11 a.m. ET on Wednesday, when Beane called Diggs to inform him of the trade.”
Before free agency started, the Bills released six key veterans to free up cap space. After a series of moves and contract restructures, the Bills had approximately $7 million in space. With Diggs gone, they take a $4 million cap hit that “pulls us down into (around $3 million) in cap space,” Beane noted. However, Buffalo will receive an additional $10 million with Tre’Davious White’s designated June 1 release.
Despite the financial impact, the Bills showed they can win without Diggs in the latter part of the season. He failed to perform in the Bills’ playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Trading Diggs, who will be 31 in November, immediately creates $27.3 million in cap space for 2025.
The Bills plan to find a replacement for Stefon Diggs in the 2024 NFL Draft and Free Agency
At the moment, the Bills’ main receivers on the team are Curtis Samuel, Khalil Shakir, Mack Hollins, and tight end Dalton Kincaid.
With a a large group of receivers entering the 2024 NFL draft, Beane is expected to trade up and acquire a top prospect like Malik Nabers, Rome Odunze, Marvin Harrison Jr., or Brian Thomas Jr.
Beane also strongly indicated they won’t only be adding talent through the draft. “There are still experienced players available. We’ll continue to explore if there's a good fit,” Beane said. “And even if we don’t secure the player everyone wants in April, there are other ways to do it. We need to remember that roster building is an ongoing process.”
“We don’t start playing games until September,” Beane said. “I’ll search thoroughly to add depth and competition.”
