Tag: Stefon Diggs

ESPN’s Adam Schefter: Stefon Diggs had ‘run his course’ with Bills

ESPN’s Adam Schefter: Stefon Diggs had ‘run his course’ with the #Bills:

Following the Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans trade centering around receiver Stefon Diggs, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter did some… digging.

According to an update, the Texans had long been in the market to make this move with their prior trade with the Minnesota Vikings coming into the equation.

But when it comes to the Bills, Schefter noted that the  bond between the team and Diggs just came to an end.

“This was a relationship in Buffalo that had run its course,” Schefter said.

Schefter’s full breakdown can be found below:

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ESPN’s Adam Schefter reveals how Texans landed WR Stefon Diggs

The Houston Texans shocked the NFL world after trading away the No. 23 pick to the Minnesota Vikings, but that was the plan from the jump when they realized Stefon Diggs could be coming to town.

Stefon Diggs is officially a member of the Houston Texans and hopes to be the reason why the AFC South winners are contenders again in 2024.

But how did Houston land Diggs? What happened behind closed doors that led to Buffalo cutting ties with the disgruntled wide receiver and taking a $31 million dead-cap hit?

Surprisingly, his old team in Minnesota was involved.

During an interview on “The Stephen A. Smith Show,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter mentioned that Houston planned on trading its first-round pick (No. 23) to the Vikings to land better draft compensation without moving too far down the pecking order.

Minnesota offered its second-round pick (No. 42), a sixth-round pick (No. 188) and a 2025 second-round pick. That latter was used to acquire Diggs, along with a 2024 sixth-round pick (No. 189) and a 2025 fifth-round pick.

“A couple of weeks back, the Texans went to the Vikings to initiate a trade to get out of the first round,” Schefter said. “Everybody assumed it was the Vikings so they can go up and get a quarterback. But it was the Texans so they could be in a position to make a trade, like they did on Wednesday, for Stefon Diggs.”

Diggs heads to Houston looking for a career year to set up a payday next offseason. After Houston finalized the trade, it elected to void the final three years of his four-year, $104 million extension signed with Buffalo back in April 2022.

Houston still believes the version of Diggs that closed out 2023 will remain back in Buffalo and that a more aggressive and hungry version will take the field at NRG Stadium. Since 2020, he has led the league in receptions (445) and is one of only four players in league history to record four consecutive seasons with 100-plus receptions.

Diggs is also one of two receivers to be selected to the Pro Bowl in each of the past four seasons, along with the Miami Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill.

LOOK: Stefon Diggs dons Texans gear for the first time

The newest Houston Texan, Stefon Diggs, took to Instagram to show off him working out in Texans gear

With so much hype surrounding the Texans’ offseason, it’s no wonder why fans can’t wait for Week 1 to arrive. 

Everything for general manager Nick Caserio was predicated on building around C.J. Stroud while on a rookie deal. He upgraded the run game by trading for Pro Bowler Joe Mixon. He strengthened the pass rush with the additions of Azeez Al-Shaair and Danielle Hunter.

But Caserio went for the home run by targeting wide receiver Stefon Diggs from Buffalo. Most recently, the four-time Pro Bowl receiver donned his Texans gear in a workout video on his Instagram for the first time publicly. 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5gVbV_gbHA/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Diggs has filled fans’ social media timelines with multiple workout videos in his short time in Houston. This is a positive sign that the Texans are getting the best version of the 30-year-old receiver.

His tenure with Buffalo ended unceremoniously, with media members constantly asking about his future.

Diggs’ off-the-field antics often overshadowed his All-Pro-caliber play. He missed the start of mandatory OTAs and publicly displayed his unhappiness with the offense after a divisional-round loss to the Chiefs.

Even in Diggs’ final hours with the team, he took shots at Bills quarterback Josh Allen. During an interaction on X, a fan said that Allen’s success doesn’t require an elite receiver like Diggs, to which he replied, “You sure?”

According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, Buffalo allowed Diggs to seek a trade to any team except for Kansas City. Stroud, who won Offensive Rookie of the Year, connected Diggs connected throughout the offseason at different functions, including a celebrity softball game at Minute Maid Park.

The new AFC duo put social media ablaze with videos created in collaboration with popular content creator Sketch, who is from the Houston area. John Methcie III and Tank Dell were also seen.

Even with the energy seeming positive, the Texans’ front office isn’t taking any chances. Houston cleared the final three years of Diggs’ contract, moving the $3.5 million guaranteed up to this season. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent next offseason and, at 31 years old, looking to sign the final big-money deal of his career.

The move is similar to several the Patriots made when Caserio was in New England, like when the Patriots acquired Darrelle Revis after a failed stint in Tampa Bay.

Revis played on a one-year deal, finishing as a first-team All-Pro and Super Bowl champion. New England let him walk in free agency, and Revis declined shortly after re-signing with the New York Jets. 

There’s no telling what Diggs’ future holds after this season, but he should be highly motivated, and that’s a huge plus for the Texans because when Diggs is playing his best, he’s one of the league’s top receivers. 

He’s one of two receivers to record 100-plus catches in the last four seasons and has topped 1,000 yards in the last six. 

Ironically, Diggs’ first team helped make the deal possible. The Texans’ trade with the Vikings, which sent Houston’s first-round pick via Cleveland to Minnesota, netted them two second-round picks. 

Houston sent Minnesota’s 2025 second-round pick to Buffalo in exchange for Diggs and a pair of late-round selections. The Texans will be Diggs’ third team in the NFL. 

Watch: Texans’ C.J. Stroud, Stefon Diggs building chemistry during workouts

Stefon Diggs and C.J. Stroud aren’t at NRG Stadium, but the two Houston Texans talents are working hard down at UCLA.

Stefon Diggs is ready to prove his best years are still ahead as the Houston Texans’ new No. 1 receiver.

Well, maybe he’s 1B behind Nico Collins, but Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud will take as many 1,000-yard targets for his breakout second season.

Diggs, acquired by Houston in a trade after a four-year stay with the Buffalo Bills, has already hit the ground running working alongside his new quarterback. This past weekend, the four-time Pro Bowler joined Stroud, plus Tank Dell and John Metchie III for a spring workout at a UCLA practice field Saturday evening.

For those watching on social media, it was an up-close look at the new offense expected to make waves in the AFC come 2024. And imagine how much different the offensive play design looks with Collins added into the mix.

Diggs, 30, is the hopeful missing link on offense. Houston already bolstered its ground game by trading for Cincinnati Bengals Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon. It also improved its defensive front seven with the additions of linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair and All-Pro defensive end Danielle Hunter.

Diggs is entering a contract year after Houston voided the final three years of his extension signed back in 2022, and he is looking to cash in one final time on a lucrative deal.

Could it be with Houston? Time will tell if the two sides find a common ground while building a foundation as the next great franchise in the AFC for years to come.

Even if Diggs has lost a step as he enters the back half of his career, the Texans believe they’re getting a Pro Bowl-caliber target. They should, too. Diggs has posted six consecutive 1,000-yard seasons dating back to his time with the Minnesota Vikings.

In Buffalo, he hauled in at least 103 catches each season, including an NFL-leading 127 catches in 2020. He also finished with over 1,110 yards and averaged eight touchdowns per year.

A healthy Dell should open the passing attack more both in the slot and on the perimeter. The third-round pick was one pace to finish with over 1,000 yards as Houston’s No. 2 option, but a fractured fibula in early December sidelined him for the postseason run.

The Texans also brought back tight end Dalton Schultz, who stepped up as a security blanket in big games across the middle of the field. He was a priority free agent among those leaving this offseason after building a budding chemistry with Stroud late during the postseason run.

There’s an argument to be had that Houston currently owns the best-receiving trio in the AFC. On paper, it’s warranted. On the field, let’s wait to see in live games, but it’s good to see them working out away from Texas and building off last season’s success.

Chris Simms: Bills did not want to trade Stefon Diggs to Chiefs

PFT’s Chris Simms says he heard #Bills did not want to trade Stefon Diggs to #Chiefs:

Stefon Diggs is now a member of the Houston Texans.

The Bills and Diggs had been in discussions about trading him. The transaction did not just happen out of nowhere.

However, there might have been just one team they were not willing to send Diggs to.

“From what I do know, is he was allowed to seek a trade from anybody in the league except the Kansas City Chiefs,” Chris Simms of Pro Football Talk said on Thursday’s episode of “PFT Live.”

The 30-year-old wide receiver fetched the Bills a second-round pick in the trade, which also involved two draft picks going from Buffalo to Houston. However, Diggs is now only under contract for one year in Houston after he agreed to shorten his deal. That makes the trade look a little better for Buffalo … but could Diggs end up in KC after that?

Time will tell what happens after Diggs’ upcoming campaign with the Texans.

The full breakdown from Simms can be found in the clip below:

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Commanders named as a potential suitor for WR Stefon Diggs in 2025

Diggs is a DMV native with six consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.

The then-Washington Redskins had multiple opportunities to select former University of Maryland star Stefon Diggs in the 2015 NFL draft. As a matter of fact, every NFL team did, as Diggs somehow dropped to the fifth round — No. 146 overall.

After five standout seasons in Minnesota, Diggs wanted out. And the Vikings were happy to oblige, sending him to the Buffalo Bills for multiple picks, including a first-round pick that Minnesota used to select the NFL’s premier wide receiver, Justin Jefferson.

After four incredible seasons with Josh Allen and the Bills, the Gaithersburg, Maryland, native was traded to the Houston Texans last week. Diggs, 30, has six consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and just signed a four-year extension two years ago. The Bills took a massive cap hit to trade Diggs, meaning he had worn out his welcome in two places.

In trading him to the Texans, Houston re-did Diggs’ contract, allowing him to become a free agent next offseason. In the meantime, Diggs gets to play with another young star passer, C.J. Stroud. Another strong year and Diggs could hit the open market in 2025 and get even more than in the extension he last signed in Buffalo.

If Diggs plays well for the Texans, they’d presumably want to keep him around. However, Houston will need to save some of its cap space for several members of its young core.

Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports recently named five teams who could be Diggs’ suitors next offseason and the hometown Commanders were among those teams.

The Commanders are close to home for Diggs, playing in the wideout’s home state of Maryland. More than that, they’re likely to have a top young quarterback prospect after this year’s draft. And new coach Dan Quinn has shown no hesitation to pay big bucks to bolster his lineup with proven talent. Imagine the pairing with Terry McLaurin. Money probably wouldn’t be an issue, with Washington set to have more than $100 million in 2025 cap space.

The Commanders have plenty of money available to pay Diggs or any other top free agent. But this doesn’t seem like a move new general manager Adam Peters or head coach Dan Quinn would make. Washington will have a young quarterback on the roster and likely wouldn’t want to add someone to the team who could potentially disrupt the culture Peters and Quinn are trying to build.

The Commanders make a fun match on paper, and 2025 feels like a long time away, but don’t get your hopes up on this one. Washington has Terry McLaurin as its No. 1 wide receiver and Jahan Dotson as the No. 2. Look for the Commanders to add another young pass-catcher early in the 2024 NFL draft.

Brandon Beane says Bills are not ‘giving up’ after Stefon Diggs trade

Brandon Beane says #Bills are not ‘giving up’ after Stefon Diggs trade:

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane isn’t afraid to say it: his team’s roster is not as good anymore after trading Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans.

“Are we better today? Probably not. It’s a work in progress,” Beane said via video conference.

“These moves are never easy — very hard, not made overnight, anything like that — but any time you make a move like this, as I said, very difficult, you’re doing it because you’re trying to win,” he added.

At first the deal was very shocking because of compensation. With the newly added layer that Diggs signed a new contract in Houston which is only a one-year deal, it doesn’t look as poorly of a transaction as it once did with Buffalo.

It’s still not great to lose your best playmaker, but still.

Regardless, we won’t know the full result of this trade for years to come.

For now, here’s Beane’s full reaction to the deal via WKBW-TV:

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Tom Brady predicted the Stefon Diggs trade

A couple of years back, Tom Brady tried to warn Josh Allen that Stefon Diggs would eventually be shipped out of Buffalo

We all know he’s the GOAT when it comes to playing quarterback in the NFL, but it turns out Tom Brady might have some clairvoyant abilities to go along with his loaded trophy case.

A couple of years ago, during one of his nationally televised golf events with fellow star quarterbacks, Brady poked fun at both Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers for having lost their top wide receivers (Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams) to trades, while acknowledging the fact that Mike Evans remained in Tampa Bay with him.

He then told Josh Allen to prepare himself for the same fate down the road with his own star receiver, Stefon Diggs:

https://youtube.com/shorts/-WlRt9tEiws?si=TfNp_j2fcyl6cBdS

Diggs was traded earlier this week to the Houston Texans, leaving Allen and the Buffalo Bills without their No. 1 receiver.

Brady is off enjoying his retirement after a legendary career that ended with an impressive three-year stretch with Evans and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, one that included yet another Lombardi Trophy.

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Chris Simms: Bills wouldn’t allow Stefon Diggs to seek a trade with Chiefs

Chris Simms told “Pro Football Talk” that the #Bills wouldn’t allow Stefon Diggs to seek a trade with the #Chiefs

The saga of exciting games between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills have been must-watch events for the NFL. The stars on both sides have amazing games while remaining loyal to their side of the rivalry until possibly this offseason.

The Bills shocked the football world when it was announced that they had traded their top wide receiver, Stefon Diggs, to the Houston Texans earlier this week. Diggs, who had expressed his displeasure with the team at times during last season, was moved, but there appears to be more to the story, and it involves Kansas City.

Chris Simms and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk spoke on a recent podcast episode about an intriguing rumor that indicates Diggs was blocked from ever being dealt to the Chiefs.

“From what I do know, he was allowed to seek a trade from anybody in the league except the Kansas City Chiefs,” said Simms. “That’s what I’ve been told by multiple people that he was allowed to do that (and) the Chiefs were the only team they weren’t going to trade for him.

The Chiefs and Bills have had a fierce rivalry over the past few seasons, with Buffalo falling to Kansas City each year in their postseason meetings. Diggs being unable to pitch a deal to Kansas City sounds realistic but is another exciting chapter in the two teams’ competitive struggle for superiority in the AFC.

Stefon Diggs’ contract: A new twist to the Bills-Texans trade

An interesting new situation:

There was a new layer added to the Stefon Diggs trade.

The Buffalo Bills sent their top receiver to the Houston Texans in a move that shocked the NFL.

It was immediately viewed as a move that didn’t make the Bills look great. Buffalo had to eat more than $30 million of dead cap space to move him out only to land a second-round pick in next year’s draft.

Now for the twist.

Upon joining the Texans, Diggs has a new contract he’s playing on. It makes the Bills’ side of the deal look a bit nicer now.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the 30-year-old wideout is now on a one-year deal. Previously he had multiple years left on his contract. Houston could now lose him after one season:

For Diggs, he’s betting on himself. He led the NFL in receiving yards from 2020-2023. That could mean a big pay day after next year.

While Buffalo did also lose a pair of late-round selections in the deal (2024 sixth-rounder (No. 189) and 2025 fifth-rounder), this trade looks better from their perspective. From Buffalo’s vantage point it originally was giving up three years of Diggs for one pick… now that’s not the case.

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