Diggs trade: Addition by subtraction for Buffalo

The Buffalo Bills traded four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver and team captain Stefon Diggs to the up-and-coming Houston Texans on Wednesday. Apr. 3. While it may seem at first thought that any Super Bowl-caliber team giving away their number-one receiving option for a second-round draft pick is counter-productive, that simply is not the case with the Bills and Diggs. There are two main effects of the trade that will prove to be positive for the future of the franchise: locker room cohesion, and a fresh start for one of the best quarterbacks in the game. 

Looking first at the most important result of this deal, the new level of locker room cohesion in Buffalo, the trade immediately begins to make sense for a team on the cusp of a Super Bowl appearance. Diggs’ qualms with the Bills have been heavily reported over the past year. After signing his multi-year extension with the team, the All-Pro was expected to continue with his stellar production on the field, which he did, and also as a leader within the organization, which he did not. 

As previously stated, Diggs was a multi-year captain on the squad and was seen from the outside as a leader—at least for the first two years with the team. That all came to a halt when the star receiver openly yelled and gestured hastily at fellow captain Josh Allen on the sideline of the team’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2023 playoffs. Not only did Diggs openly express his frustrations publicly, he did so privately as well, as it was reported that he left the team’s locker room and went home immediately following the loss. He didn't wait for Head Coach Sean McDermott to address the team, he didn't step up and help console his teammates; he left. 

Everything began to snowball from there as the 2023 offseason was a complete mess all around. Diggs continuously posted puzzling messages on his social media accounts which repeatedly led fans to question his loyalty and willingness to move forward with the franchise. Along with the ex-Bills receiver, his brother and Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs frequently posted messages throughout the break and into the regular season stating blatantly that Stefon should leave Buffalo and that Allen’s career didn’t “start going off till bro got there.” Obviously, Stefon himself posting negative views about the Bills was looked down upon, but his refusal to ask his brother to stop posting about his teammate was negatively received by many fans as well. 

Once offseason workouts began for Buffalo in the spring of 2023, Diggs made it clear that he still harbored ill will towards the organization as he declined to take part. While it was not seen as a major decision initially, the situation reached a new level of tension when McDermott told reporters that Diggs also didn’t show up for the first day of the Bills’ mandatory training camp later in the summer. Fans began to seriously wonder, after months of negative press, if this was the breaking point in the two parties’ relationship. It wasn’t, however, as McDermott went back on his statement the next day and assured both fans and the media that Diggs did show up, but simply did not practice on the first day of camp. The confusion and dishonesty only added fuel to the ever-growing fire that was Stefon Diggs’ tenure with the Bills. 

Allen, McDermott, and Diggs repeatedly attempted to reassure the fanbase that the receiver was content with his situation along with his teammates and front office. As a fan of the franchise, though, let me be the first to tell you that they did nothing of the sort. No matter how many times an athlete promises something and puts on a smile for the public, their actions cannot be overlooked. The Bills’ locker room had been torn for months, if not years, before the trade with Houston went through, and Josh Allen, Sean McDermott, and the entire Buffalo Bills team can now look towards a refreshed cohesion and morale going forward. 

On top of being a good deal team-wise, the trade allows for the Bills to become an even better team on the field. Per his extension which was signed in 2022, Diggs was set to cost Buffalo nearly $30 million over each of the next two seasons, but the swap with Houston gives the Bills some much-needed financial flexibility. While the team is still going to have to pay over $30 million in 2024, it is a one-time payment, making them much better off starting in 2025. 

Along with the financial opportunities allotted to the Bills, the team will become even more productive on the field due to the draft pick compensation they received from Houston. While they only received a second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, it is largely being reported that the team may trade that pick away in a package to move up to a higher selection in this year’s draft. The team already signed former Washington Commanders wide receiver Curtis Samuel to a three-year contract to bolster their offensive attack, and they will also most likely use a pick this year to draft a highly-touted receiver coming out of college. 

Some may say that losing Diggs, a perennial 1,000-plus yard receiver, will hamper the Bills—and they may be right this coming season. In the long-term, however, this team may come out of this deal in an even better position production-wise. It will most likely take some time for Allen to build chemistry with Samuel and whoever else they bring in to fill the depth chart, but he will no doubt rebound from the loss. His ability to replicate his stat line with one or multiple new weapons is one that few should doubt given his status as one of the best passers in the game. 

The Houston Texans became a better team as a result of their trade to take Stefon Diggs away from the Buffalo Bills. They made a move in the right direction as far as working towards a Super Bowl title. That doesn’t mean, however, that the Bills got worse. I would argue that this deal could be the catalyst for getting this franchise over the hump and towards a Super Bowl themselves. This organization hit a peak and needed to make a change; sending Diggs away gives them the fresh start in the locker room, on the payroll, and on the field that they desperately needed.