The Buffalo Bills and star wide receiver Stefon Diggs have certainly had a roller coaster ride of an offseason. Things got so contentious between the two sides that head coach Sean McDermott canceled the last day of mandatory minicamp practice.
Reports were flying around that Diggs was unhappy with his role in the offense and he wanted more input in the playcalling. That was hard to believe as he has at least 154 targets in all three seasons in Buffalo, earning a Pro Bowl nod each year with one All-Pro First Team and one All-Pro Second Team nomination.
Other reports said that he was unhappy the team didn’t pursue DeAndre Hopkins to add to their offense. At one point, it was reported that the Bills were quietly making Diggs available for a trade. Had a team presented them with a strong enough offer, they would have pulled the trigger.
But, Bills general manager Brandon Beane has refuted those reports. He recently made an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show and said that Diggs never asked to be traded. Beane took it a step further, saying that no team even made an offer for the star wide receiver.
“No, no one called on Diggs. I think people know that he’s ours,” Beane said. “Even if there was an issue, and he was never asking to be traded, it never came up.” (H/T ProFootballTalk)
Whatever the issue may have been, Diggs has been present and training camp and participating, so the two sides are seemingly past their issues. But, Beane did admit that talks had to be had between the two sides to hash things out.
“It truly was 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,” Beane said. (H/T ProFootballTalk)
Trading Diggs would have presented the Bills with some major salary cap issues. Also, the team is in a position to contend in 2023. Trading away their star offensive playmaker would have been counteractive to achieving their ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl ring.
Without Diggs, the Bills’ offense would have certainly fallen from the ranks near the top of the league. Replacing his production would have been impossible with Gabriel Davis, Khalil Shakur and Trent Sherfield behind him on the depth chart.
