What Josh Allen said about Diggs trade and what it means for next season

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Was Stefon Diggs unhappy in Buffalo?

Is that why the Bills traded the 30-year-old wide receiver and two draft picks to the Houston Texans in early April for a 2025 second-round pick?

Don't ask Bills quarterback Josh Allen.

"To be honest, I couldn't answer that question," Allen said Thursday when met with media in Buffalo. "It's something you may have to ask him at some point."

Some signs point to yes:

  • Such as when Diggs left the locker room without talking to anyone following a playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in 2022.

  • Such as when Diggs was absent at the start of mini camp last summer

  • Such as last November, when Diggs' brother Trevon tweeted that Stefon needed to get out of Buffalo after a loss to the Denver Broncos.

Diggs distanced himself from his brother's tweet. He said he "100 %" wanted to retire with the Bills at the start of training camp.

Allen, who has an average annual salary cap hit of $43 million, said not a single dollar he makes is earned making those kinds of decisions.

"I don't get paid to make changes on the team," he said. "I get paid to be the best quarterback that I can and try to lead the guys on the team.

"We've made a lot of changes this offseason, lost a lot of veteran leadership, Stef being one of them. I guess it's the nature of the business. ... It kind of is what it is."

Allen acknowledged that Diggs, a four-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro, will be missed. Diggs had 5,372 yards and 37 touchdowns receiving in four seasons with the Bills.

"The statistics don't lie," Allen said. "It's an opportunity for those guys we have in our room ... for guys who have been in our system for a while, who know how things go."

The Bills went 48-18 during Diggs' four seasons with them. They reached the AFC championship game in 2020, but fell in the divisional round each of the following three years.

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Allen said he and Diggs exchanged text messages after the trade.

Allen's thanked Diggs for "everything that he did for me."

"I'll always have a spot in my heart for him," Allen said. "I'll always love that guys like a brother."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: What Josh Allen said about Stefon Diggs trade, what it means for 2024

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