Buffalo Bills GM says WR Stefon Diggs trade was ‘best for us right now’

It’s rare for a news story to hit Western New York with the impact of a powerful band of lake-effect snow, but the events of April 3 certainly had a similar effect.

After months of speculation and chatter both unfounded and legitimate, the Buffalo Bills have traded perennial Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans, with the centerpiece of the return being a second-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft. NFL. The perceived turmoil at wideout had been discussed often, but few around Buffalo really felt like the team was going to move on from its fourth-best receiver of all time; he still projects as a top offensive contributor in the future, and trading him during the 2024 offseason would net the Bills $31 million in dead cap space for the upcoming campaign. Moving him would result in a potential personal and financial nightmare.

And then the nightmare became reality.

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The decision, while initially shocking, was ultimately rational. While a $31 million dead cap hit is a tough immediate pill to swallow, Buffalo circumvented the remainder of its commitment to Diggs by dealing him now; the apparently disgruntled pass catcher was set to make around $25 million over the next three seasons. He also received a premium pick in next year’s draft in exchange for the expansion, which will allow the team to acquire a potentially elite talent as it resets its roster and enters a new draft window. championship.

Bills general manager Brandon Beane recently spoke about his decision to trade Diggs during an appearance on The Jim Rome Showstating that the salary cap wiggle room and compensation simply made the proposition too palatable to ignore.

“You always evaluate your team,” Beane said. “(We are) a team in transition. We started the year with a tough cap situation, right where we were in construction and obviously with some of the acquisitions that we had made. You’re always trying to see where you’re going: where are you today and where are you going tomorrow? Houston contacted us and continued to insist, and we had several conversations. We talked about it internally.

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“Stef is a hell of a talent, that’s a big part of the success we’ve had. You talk about the four divisions we won in a row, all with Stef. You’re not just going to replace a guy like Stefon Diggs, and he’ll be a great addition to Houston. As we said, it was exactly the decision that seemed best for us now. We took a tough pill this year, but we think this will really open up our options next year. And again, we added the draft picks this year, and we have additional draft capital next year, knowing that we have to build this team through the draft around Josh Allen.

With all financial ties to Diggs eliminated after this season, Buffalo may have an opportunity to further supplement its receiving corps with external reinforcements next offseason. There is, however, a scenario in which this might be unnecessary, as trading Diggs will allow the team to elevate its young receivers into more immediate roles; Khalil Shakir and free agent Curtis Samuel should benefit from the veteran’s departure, as should second-year tight end Dalton Kincaid and rookie Keon Coleman. 160 targets and 1,183 receiving yards were omitted from Buffalo’s air attack with Diggs’ departure – the production will have to be made up somewhere.