In a blockbuster trade proposal, the Buffalo Bills replace Stefon Diggs with an All-Pro wide receiver.
The Buffalo Bills have parted ways with Stefon Diggs, who has been one of the NFL’s top pass catchers in recent seasons alongside Josh Allen.
Last week, the Houston Texans made a major deal with Diiggs, exchanging a second-round pick for him. To make matters even more interesting, Houston reduced Diggs’ contract by three years, allowing him to become a free agency following the season.
It could be a steep price for a one-year rental, especially since Diggs finished his Buffalo Bills career with 13 straight games with fewer than 100 receiving yards (including playoffs), the longest skid of his NFL career.
So the question is, what version of Diggs are the Texans getting? The one who led the NFL in catches in four years in Buffalo and started off the 2023 season with 100 receiving yards in five or his first six games? Or the one who looked like a shell of his former self as the season progressed?
How did Diggs’ output plummet so dramatically? There are several probable explanations. He could be in the back nine of his career. He turned 30 last November, an age when top wide receivers typically see a drop in production.
It might have been an injury. Diggs did not miss a game last season, although he was on the injury list in Week 10 with a back issue before his numbers plummeted. His rocky relationship with the Buffalo Bills could also be a contributing factor.
The most likely cause is Joe Brady’s ascension to offensive coordinator following Ken Dorsey’s firing. Diggs’ output was reduced by half after Brady took over as the OC in Week 11, which amounted to the final nine games of the season, including playoffs.
Diggs averaged the fewest yards per reception (8.8) of any wide receiver in the league with Brady (min. 25 targets).
He also wasn’t the focal point of the offense like he was in years past. He was on the field less (snap rate dropped from 87% to 77%). The Buffalo Bills passed less (dropback rate went from 63% to 53%) and Diggs’ target share dropped (31% to 27%) especially in key situations where you would expect your top receiver to get the ball.
Regardless of how DIggs pans out in Houston, the Bills are now in desperate need of a dynamic wide receiver. Both Gabe Davis and Diggs are now gone, and having a true No. 1 superstar who can take over a game has been critical to Josh Allen’s career so far.
Buffalo Bills Make Blockbuster Proposed Trade With 49ers For Brandon Aiyuk.
Bleacher Report presented a few trade options for 49ers star WR Brandon Aiyuk and the Bills made the top of the list.
The hypothetical move would necessitate Buffalo giving up this year’s first-round pick, unless they intend to draft a WR better than the 49ers’ star.
Buffalo Bills acquire WR Brandon Aiyuk.
49ers Receive: 2024 Round 1 Pick (No. 28), 2025 Round 4 Pick.
It has been a difficult offseason in Western New York. Due to a lack of cap space, the Bills said goodbye to several veteran players, including wide receiver Gabe Davis. There has been some conjecture that fellow wideout Stefon Diggs is dissatisfied in New York and wants to leave.
While appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, Bills general manager Brandon Beane did his best to shoot down the notion that Diggs is going anywhere.
“No one called on Diggs,” Beane said. “I think people know that he’s ours, and we wouldn’t (do that)—even if there was an issue—and he was never asking to be traded. That never came up. I’ve got a great relationship with his agent, Adisa Bakari. So, it was truly never an issue. It was just more us getting in a room and talking through how last season finished and getting on the same page.”
Of course, those words ring rather hollow after the Buffalo Bills traded Diggs to the Houston Texans last Wednesday. And now the Bills are desperate for a No. 1 wideout to pair with Josh Allen.
An extension for Brandon Aiyuk wouldn’t be easy with Buffalo possessing just $7.7 million in cap space. And trading Aiyuk to another Super Bowl contender might be a tough sell in Santa Clara.
But obtaining a first-rounder for Aiyuk beats the late third-rounder San Francisco would receive for him leaving in free agency a year from now—a pick San Francisco wouldn’t see until 2026.
Bringing Aiyuk in would alleviate much of the sting from losing Diggs. And it’s better for the Buffalo Bills in the short-term than trying to develop a rookie on the fly.
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