The writing on Stefon Diggs’ departure from Buffalo may have been on the wall months before Wednesday’s stunning trade to Houston.
On this week’s podcast, “Tim Graham and Friends,” The Athletic’s Tim Graham chronicles the aftermath of the Bills’ overtime loss to the Jets in Week 1 of the 2023 season, and talks about Diggs and Josh Allen’s game. Snap star at wideout revealed how a later interaction led to the quarterback.
Warning: Explicit language
“Josh Allen was sitting there in uniform. [backup quarterback] Kyle Allen was trying to comfort him and a bunch of players came over and patted him on the back, patted him… They were trying to pick him up, but his head was falling. I covered it with a towel and just sat there. ” Graham remembered Allen in the Bills’ locker room after a 22-16 loss in the season opener.
Graham noted how Diggs approached Allen after the game, but didn’t include it in his original report because he didn’t know what the four-time Pro Bowler said.
“But Josh Allen bit him, and he said, ‘This is f**king game,’ and kind of signaled that we’re not going to talk about it here, and then Diggs walked away and Josh was sitting there,” Graham said. recalled. “…No matter what Stefon Diggs said, Josh Allen wasn’t convinced.”
As the podcast continued, Graham noted how Diggs’ performance dipped in the second half of the season, comparing the Bills’ 5-4 first nine games to their 7-3 second half.
Graham too drew attention to previous reportsIn it, former Patriots safety Devin McCourty claimed the Bills offense was “trying to prove to Diggs that they don’t need him.”
Diggs finished the year with 107 receptions, 1,183 yards and eight touchdowns, but told reporters in February that he was taking his future “one day at a time.”
The Bills officially signed Diggs to the Texans this week, acquiring a 2025 second-rounder from Houston.
The Texans then revised Diggs’ contract, terminating the final three years of his contract and allowing him to become a free agent after 2024.
He will be guaranteed $22.52 million this year. Per ESPN.
