The New York Jets will no longer have to deal with Stefon Diggs twice a year after the longstanding Buffalo Bills wide receiver was traded to the Houston Texans this week, surprising many in the league.
The Bills were forced to take the second-largest dead cap charge in NFL history to effectuate the transaction, leaving many wondering what transpired to force Diggs out of town. It turns out that the Jets may have played a factor.
Diggs’ relationship with the Bills had deteriorated beyond repair. He disagreed with his coaching staff and even had vocal spats with quarterback Josh Allen.
One of those discussions occurred following the Jets’ miraculous Week 1 victory over the Bills last season. According to The Athletic’s Tim Graham, after Buffalo’s overtime loss to a Zach Wilson-led Jets club, Allen “snapped” at Diggs in the locker room.
“I wasn’t sure what Stefon Diggs said to him, but Josh Allen snapped at him. He said, ‘It’s one f—ing game!’ and motioned as if he wasn’t talking to you. Diggs went away, leaving Josh sitting there. In retrospect, given that this was Week 1, we can assume that everything is fine, but looking back, I wish I had mentioned that in my story or made some sort of reference to it.
Losing against the New York Jets contributed to Stefon Diggs’ departure from the Bills.
It’s unknown what sparked Allen and Diggs’ verbal spat, but it’s safe to assume that cooler heads would have prevailed if the Bills had won that game. Who knows what impact that could have had on Diggs’ future in Buffalo?
Tensions were high after Allen threw three interceptions in his team’s loss to the Jets, who had to play Wilson at quarterback because to Aaron Rodgers’ injury. In overtime, rookie Xavier Gipson scored a walk-off punt return touchdown, sealing the Jets’ triumph.
Diggs appeared to be more upset by the loss than Allen, who stated it was “just one f—ing game.” Losing to the Jets, led by Wilson, certainly irritated the All-Pro wide out.
Diggs’ relationship with the Bills deteriorated during the season, and it’s difficult not to reflect on that pivotal Week 1 game and wonder what could have happened had Buffalo won.
Unfortunately, we’ll never know. Wilson, Gipson, and the Jets defeated Allen, Diggs, and the Buffalo Bills. Diggs was traded out of Buffalo less than seven months later, in one of the most surprising transactions in modern NFL history.
Stefon Diggs is no longer with the Buffalo Bills, and the Jets appear to have had a significant hand in making that happen.
Leave a Reply