The Buffalo Bills traded wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans earlier this month, leaving quarterback Josh Allen with a very limited range of targets in the aerial attack.
There has been rumors that Allen and Diggs did not see eye to eye, but Allen did his best to put that chatter to rest on Thursday.
“I’ll always love that guy like a brother,” Allen said, via Kevin Patra of NFL.com. “He meant a lot. Look at the statistics. The numbers don’t lie.”
The Bills acquired Diggs in a trade with the Minnesota Vikings back in March 2020. Diggs spent four seasons in Buffalo, making the Pro Bowl all four years. He racked up over 1,000 yards each season, including his debut campaign when he led the NFL in both receptions (127) and receiving yards (1,535).
This past year, Diggs caught 107 passes for 1,183 yards and eight touchdowns.
“It’s definitely hard to part ways with a guy that’s been instrumental to our success here,” added Allen. “I wish we could keep everybody. We lost a lot of veteran leadership. It is what it is. I don’t get paid to make changes on the team.”
Allen’s breakout year aligned with Diggs’ first season in Buffalo, which is probably not much of a coincidence. Allen threw for 4,544 yards, 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions that season, earning his first Pro Bowl appearance. It remains his best campaign to date.
In 2023, Allen struggled a bit, finishing with 4,306 yards, 29 touchdowns and 18 picks. He still managed to finish fifth in MVP voting, but his turnovers were an issue, and it seemed pretty clear that something wasn’t quite right between Allen and Diggs during the second half of the season.
Now, it’s the Bills’ job to provide Josh Allen with some legitimate weapons, as the club also lost fellow wide out Gabe Davis to free agency.
We’ll see if Buffalo can add some pieces in the NFL Draft.
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