Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane addressed reporters on Wednesday, only hours removed from a blockbuster trade in which he sent wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans.
Naturally, the move has been controversial, which is highly understandable when you're talking about a player as prolific as Diggs is. Add to that that the Bills are Super Bowl contenders and it's obvious the move will be heavily scrutinized.
A big part of the discussion following the trade has been the impact it will make on quarterback Josh Allen. Although Allen is widely acknowledged as one of the best gunslingers in the business, some have been quick to claim that Allen rose through the NFL ranks after Diggs got to Buffalo.
When asked about the trade's impact on Allen, Beane poured nothing but facts into the table.
"They've been a really good duo, you know?," Beane told reporters on Wednesday. "I don't remember if Stef made an All-Pro before he got here, and he made multiple and some Pro Bowls in there too. And you know, Josh ramped up as well, so I do think when they were clicking, the games they were clicking or the seasons they were really clicking, you could say they were probably up there with most any quarterback-receiver."
Although many will perceive his comments as a slight jab to Diggs, the truth is Beane is simply saying what many fail to understand when discussing QB-WR duos: There's nothing wrong with admitting each party benefitted the other.
Diggs' best football came when he got to the Bills and Allen's best football came when he was given such a talented wideout. It was never all thanks to one man and one man only.
That being said, there's no question that Allen will now be put under a microscope and whether he plays better or worse in 2024, you know those comparisons will come in an attempt to shame one of the two players. But make no mistake about it, they both made the other special.
"(Josh) was probably was on the West Coast, so it probably woke him up, whenever that move went down," Beane said when asked if Allen had been aware the move was going down. "He might have been asleep, but I'll circle back with him. But Josh and I have a pretty regular conversation on things, and I think it's important for me to make sure if I think something could happen to make sure he's not blindsided. And so, without going into the discussion with Josh when the last time we spoke was, I did alert him that there had been some inquiries and it wasn't 100% off the table."
It's still crazy to think Diggs won't be a Bill when the season kicks off in September. But don't expect this team to go anywhere as long as Allen is quarterbacking the franchise.
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