The Buffalo Bills and Stefon Diggs have been synonymous since the AFC North team acquired the former Vikings superstar wide receiver in a sensational trade during the 2020 NFL Draft.
Diggs immediately displayed connection with Bills franchise quarterback Josh Allen. with his debut season with Buffalo, he had 127 receptions for 1,535 yards, which led the NFL, as well as eight touchdowns. Diggs received his first Pro Bowl honour and was named First Team All-Pro by the Associated Press.
With the addition of Emmanuel Sanders in 2021, defences struggled to find a response for the quick combination of Buffalo Bills wideouts, and Diggs shone once more, finishing the season with 1,225 receiving yards and a career-high 10 touchdowns, earning Pro Bowl honours for the second consecutive year.
Diggs extended his deal with the Bills for four years and $96 million through the 2027 season in the offseason of 2022. Diggs’ output was unaffected by the significant increase in his contract, as he finished the year with 1,429 yards and a career-high 11 touchdowns, while also earning his third Pro Bowl appearance in a row.
Stefon Diggs And The Buffalo Bills Tension began ahead of the 2023 season.
Although Diggs had at least 100 yards in the first five games of the 2023 season, turmoil and friction began to emerge in the Bills locker room as his output dropped after the team fired OC Ken Dorsey and went to Joe Brady.
Diggs concluded 2023 with 107 receptions for 1,183 yards and eight touchdowns, earning his fourth consecutive trip to the Pro Bowl, but he lost two important passes in the Buffalo Bills’ tight 27-24 playoff defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs, a sensation all too familiar.
Only four days into April, the Bills stunned the NFL world by sending Diggs to the Houston Texans for a second-round pick.
The deal signalled the end of the Bills’ somewhat troubled relationship with their top wide receiver.
Back in March, Diggs made a cryptic social media post stating that he was “ready for anything.” That was just the latest in a string of indications that he wanted to leave Buffalo, including missing the start of obligatory minicamp last year. Diggs also expressed concerns about his future with the organization during the Pro Bowl Games in February. When asked if he was optimistic about his future with the Bills, he replied, “I can’t tell you what the future holds, but I’m still being me.”
Buffalo Bills Take An Immediate Shot At Stefon Diggs After Chase Claypool Signing
The Buffalo Bills announced Friday that they had signed wide receiver Chase Claypool to a one-year contract.
Claypool’s presence provides much-needed receiving depth in the aftermath of Diggs’ departure.
Buffalo also addressed wideout in the 2024 NFL draft, selecting Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman with the No. 33 overall pick in the second round. Coleman possesses a unique skill set that could convert to the NFL talent required to replace an excellent No. 1 wideout like Diggs.
While Claypool’s arrival offers depth to a receiver corps devoid of skill beyond the promising rookie, the Buffalo Bills are at least hoping to provide Josh Allen with enough targets for the offence to prosper in 2024.
The Bills opted to dishonour Stefon Diggs’ stay by handing his number 14 jersey to Chase Claypool just hours after he signed.
It’s difficult to say whether this was a planned move by the Buffalo Bills given how terrible things must have become behind the scenes, but it’s more likely a coincidence when it comes to the No. 14.
Claypool, 25, will divide the 2023 season between the Chicago Bears and the Miami Dolphins. Between the two stints, he had only eight receptions for 77 yards and one touchdown, continuing his startling downward spiral.
The Pittsburgh Steelers chose Claypool out of Notre Dame in the second round, and he appeared to show promise in his rookie season, finishing 2020 with 873 yards (4th among rookies) and nine touchdowns (1st among rookies).
However, his output continued to diminish, and Claypool was eventually traded to the Chicago Bears, where he never found a rhythm. He had a brief run with the Miami Dolphins last season, but it’s clear the Buffalo Bills are counting on his early NFL performance to help fill a huge vacuum at wide receiver.
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