It's true that the NFL never truly has an offseason now. That was never more evident than when news broke today that Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs was being traded to the Houston Texans.
Stefon Diggs, who will now be playing for his third team in his 10th year in the league, ended his tenure with the Bills similarly to how it ended when he was with the Minnesota Vikings. But needless to say, this was an odd trade of sorts as it doesn't really help the Bills in any way, minus ridding themselves of a disgruntled receiver. The Bills now have a rather depleted receiver room, along with the league's largest dead cap of all-time for a receiver, according to CBSSports. Diggs' trade, however, may be just the start of a few more wide receivers that could be on the move.
Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers have found ways to pay some of their biggest star players over the last couple of seasons, including tight end George Kittle, linebacker Fred Warner, wide receiver Deebo Samuel, and defensive end Nick Bosa. Each of those players had their own challenges in negotiations, but the latest with Brandon Aiyuk is getting interesting.
Granted, Aiyuk and the 49ers' negotiations haven't reached the level of Deebo Samuel's with the team back in 2022 when the receiver nearly missed the first game of the season due to ongoing negotiations. What makes Aiyuk's wanting of a new deal interesting is the timing of it.
All those aforementioned players are eating up a massive chunk of the 49ers' salary cap, and with Aiyuk wanting top receiver money — which is warranted, by the way — he would further increase that. Plus, the 49ers are going to eventually have to pay quarterback Brock Purdy, whose rookie deal will be ending soon. The 49ers can't pay everybody, right? Don't be surprised if by the 2024 NFL draft, the 49ers go after a receiver in the first or second round as an Aiyuk replacement and therefore trade him.
Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals
In what could be a weird twist, the Bills could find Stefon Diggs' replacement in the Bengals' Tee Higgins. The Bengals and Higgins were unable to come to an agreement on a new contract extension recently, leading the team to franchise tag him. In return, Higgins requested a trade.
The franchise tag was more or less put on Higgins so he couldn't hit free agency, giving the Bengals more time to negotiate with him. But those negotiations don't seem to have ever materialized as of yet, with ESPN's Adam Schefter previously reporting the two sides haven't negotiated since March of 2023.
The Bengals currently hold the No. 18 overall draft pick in this year's draft. That probably puts them just on the outside of drafting one of the top receivers like Rome Oduze, Marvin Harrison Jr., or Malik Nabers in the first round. The Bengals may not need to draft another receiver in the first round since they already have Ja'Marr Chase, even though he is about to enter contract negotiations for an extension as well. This is a wide receiver-heavy draft with possible replacements for Higgins should they trade him.
Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
Justin Jefferson has yet to commit to a contract extension with the Minnesota Vikings. That could be because the team as of right now doesn't exactly have a franchise quarterback on the roster after Kirk Cousins left in free agency for the Atlanta Falcons. As of now, it will be up to backup quarterbacks Sam Darnold, Nick Mullens, and last year's fifth-round draft pick Jaren Hall to compete for the starting job.
Jefferson, coming into the last year of his contract, will likely be wanting to be the highest-paid wide receiver in the league. Spotrac currently has his market value at four years, $117.6 million with an average salary just shy of $30 million per year. In saying that, this could present the Vikings with an opportunity to offer up Jefferson as part of a trade with a wide receiver-needy team, say the New England Patriots.
The Patriots, sitting at No. 3 overall in the 2024 NFL draft, are a team needing more than just a quarterback, while the Vikings are potentially a quarterback away from competing. Having now two first-round picks thanks to a trade with the Houston Texans, the Vikings could offer a swap of the first-round pick, plus their additional and Jefferson in a deal. Of course, that's just one scenario.
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