It appears that there was trouble in paradise, after all. With paradise being Buffalo, New York, in this case.
The Bills made a blockbuster trade Wednesday morning, sending superstar wideout Stefon Diggs and a pair of late-round draft picks to the Houston Texans for a 2025 second-round pick. The writing had been on the wall for several months, culminating in a cryptic tweet by Diggs the night before the deal. A fan had stated that Diggs wasn't essential to Josh Allen's success, and the four-time Pro Bowler replied “you sure?”
Which side is in the right? Did Diggs need Allen more, or vice versa?
Stefon Diggs, Josh Allen had a great partnership on Bills
Stefon Diggs was neglected in the Buffalo offense for the majority of last season. After the Bills switched to Joe Brady at offensive coordinator, the Maryland alum's numbers plummeted. His last 100-yard game came in Week 6, and he had just three catches for 21 yards in the Divisional Round loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
This was a curious development, as Allen and Diggs had been a productive partnership prior to 2023. When Diggs went to Buffalo in 2020, he registered a career-high 1,535 receiving yards. Allen also enjoyed his best season, tossing a career-high 4,554 passing yards and 37 touchdowns.
In fact, their four-year tenure together resulted in the best four seasons of their respective careers. Even with Diggs' technical “down” season last year, his 1,183 yards were still more than he ever had as a Minnesota Viking. His career-high mark with the Vikings was 1,130 yards in 2019.
Furthermore, Diggs had at least 103 catches in each season as a Bill and only reached the century mark once as a Viking (2018). The veteran even leads the NFL with 445 receptions over the last four seasons, and he is only one of four players in league history to register 100 receptions in four straight seasons. Antonio Brown, Davante Adams and Marvin Harrison were the first three.
What's certain, though, is that any notion of Diggs not being essential to Allen's success is incorrect. Since 2020, Allen's QBR and 137 passing touchdowns are second only to Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes. The Wyoming alum was largely inconsistent prior, averaging just 2,582 yards, 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions across the previous two seasons. As soon as Diggs put on a Bills uniform, Allen's numbers skyrocketed.
Rumors of Diggs being disgruntled circulated several times last season, with his brother Trevon Diggs even tweeting “Man 14 Gotta get up outta there.” Diggs denied any issues at the time, but with Buffalo willing to eat over $31 million in dead money to move him, it's fair to assume that the relationship deteriorated.
If Allen regresses and Diggs continues to excel in Houston, there will be a case that Allen needed Diggs more than Diggs needed him. However, until that happens, it's appropriate to give each player an equal amount of credit for their successful time together.
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