When the Houston Texans acquired Stefon Diggs in a trade with the Buffalo Bills earlier this month, the wide receiver had three years remaining on his deal.

However, the Texans opted to void the final two years of Diggs’ contract, making him a free agent after next season.

Houston general manager Nick Caserio spoke on why the Texans decided to make that decision this week.

“Ultimately, you make a decision that you feel is in the best interest of the team, the organization and everybody involved, and that’s why we ended up where we are,” Caserio said, via Aaron Wilson of KPRC.

The fact that Houston went this direction with Diggs is not too surprising.

Diggs is coming off of a very strange 2023 campaign in which he hauled in 107 receptions for 1,183 yards and eight touchdowns. While those numbers look good on the surface, they were heavily frontloaded, as Diggs logged five 100-yard performances over his first six games and then did not register a single 100-yard outing the rest of the season.

It could be a sign that the 30-year-old is declining.

Plus, Diggs does not come without baggage. He caused issues with the Minnesota Vikings, which prompted the Vikings to trade him to the Bills in March 2020. He then proceeded to ruffle some feathers over his last couple of years in Buffalo, which resulted in the Bills jettisoning him to the Texans.

Houston is likely protecting itself. In the event that the Diggs trade doesn’t work out, it will only be on the hook for one year and then can just let him walk in free agency next March.

We’ll see how Stefon Diggs transitions to his new team in 2024.

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