Bills, Stefon Diggs rework contract to clear $7.8M in cap space

The Bills converted $11.7M of Stefon Diggs‘ base salary into a signing bonus (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Field Yates). In turn, the Bills now have $7.8M in extra cap space for 2021, though that amount will be pushed onto the 2022 books.

The Vikings signed Diggs to a five-year, $72M extension in July 2018. However, Diggs’ $14.4M-per-year salary was too much for Minnesota given their cap crunch. The Bills traded for him last year, surrendering a first-round pick in the swap. The Bills’ thrilling run to the AFC Championship Game probably wouldn’t have happened without Diggs, one of the league’s most exciting wide receivers.

The Bills gave Diggs a small pay bump/advance on his money upon acquiring him, so he was happy to reciprocate this week. Despite all the changes, he remains locked up through 2023 on a manageable contract. Diggs, who won’t turn 28 until November, registered 127 catches and 1,535 receiving yards last year to lead the NFL.