It appears that there was some problems in paradise. In this example, paradise was Buffalo, New York.
The Bills executed a blockbuster trade Wednesday morning, sending superstar wideout Stefon Diggs and two late-round draft picks to the Houston Texans in exchange for a 2025 second-round pick. The writing was on the wall for months, culminating in Diggs’ ominous tweet the night before the agreement. When a fan said Diggs wasn’t vital to Josh Allen’s success, the four-time Pro Bowler responded, “You sure?”
Which side is on the right? Did Diggs need Allen more, or vice versa?
Stefon Diggs and Josh Allen had a strong chemistry on the Bills
Stefon Diggs was underutilized in the Buffalo offense for much of the season. After the Bills hired Joe Brady as offensive coordinator, the Maryland alum’s numbers fell. His last 100-yard game occurred in Week 6, and he only had three catches for 21 yards in the Divisional Round loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
This was an unusual event, given Allen and Diggs had been a successful relationship before to 2023. Diggs had a career best with 1,535 receiving yards when he joined Buffalo in 2020. Allen also had a career-best season, with 4,554 throwing yards and 37 touchdowns.
In fact, their four-year partnership produced the best four seasons of their individual careers. Despite Diggs’ technically “down” season last year, his 1,183 yards were the most he had ever accumulated as a Minnesota Viking. In 2019, he tallied 1,130 yards, his career high with the Vikings.
Furthermore, Diggs had at least 103 catches in each season as a Bill, but only hit the century mark once as a Viking in 2018. The veteran also leads the NFL with 445 receptions over the previous four seasons, and he is one of only four players in league history to reach 100 receptions in four consecutive seasons. The first three were Antonio Brown, Davante Adams, and Marvin Harrison.
What is certain, however, is that any notion that Diggs is not critical to Allen’s success is false. Since 2020, Allen’s QBR and 137 passing touchdowns are second only to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Previously, the Wyoming alum had been relatively unreliable, averaging only 2,582 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions over two seasons. Allen’s stats surged after Diggs put on the Bills uniform.
Rumors of Diggs’ dissatisfaction spread multiple times last season, with his brother Trevon Diggs even tweeting, “Man 14, gotta get up outta there.” Diggs denied any problems at the time, but with Buffalo willing to pay over $31 million in dead money to get him out, it’s reasonable to infer that the relationship worsened.
If Allen regresses while Diggs continues to succeed in Houston, it might be argued that Allen needed Diggs more than Diggs needed him. However, until then, it is customary to give each player equal credit for their successful time together.
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