Report: Bills WR Stefon Diggs is frustrated with his role, play-calling input
Buffalo Bills receiver Stefon Diggs is reportedly frustrated with his “role in the offense” and input in “play-calling.”
“Diggs’ frustration is with his role in the offense and his voice in play-calling, per a league source close to the Bills’ locker room,” Ben Volin of the Boston Globe wrote Sunday. “He was visibly agitated at Allen during the 27-10 playoff loss to the [Cincinnati] Bengals, stormed out of the locker room almost immediately after the game, and didn’t attend any voluntary workouts this offseason.”
Bills head coach Sean McDermott said he was “very concerned” after Diggs didn’t attend the start of Bills mandatory minicamp Tuesday. Diggs’ agent, Adisa Bakari, told Adam Schefter of ESPN that his client was in Buffalo for minicamp and met with McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane leading up to the start of minicamp. Buffalo later confirmed that Diggs reported in the morning before leaving the facility ahead of practice.
Sean McDermott clears air on Stefon Diggs situation
McDermott met with the media the following day to clear the air on all speculation. He said that Diggs did “everything he was asked to do,” adding it came to a point where Diggs and the team needed “a break and some space.”
“We had a good conversation, great communication,” McDermott said. “We got to a point yesterday where we just felt like we all needed a break and some space. So, I gave Stef permission to get some space and head out and picked up those conversations after practice. So let me make it clear: It was not Stef leaving unexcused — he was excused, by me. And so those conversations have got us to, what I think and believe, is a great spot.
“Sometimes you got to have conversations and need to communicate. I appreciate Stef being willing to communicate. I thought he did a great job. And you guys need to understand Stef is a valuable member of this football team. He’s one of our captains and a leader on this football team. He works extremely, extremely hard — as hard as any player that I’ve been around — to be elite in this league, and that’s what he is. And I love him. So, I want to make sure that you guys understand what really the situation was and is. Because there’s some things that have been said that I think don’t think were fair, so I wanted to provide clarity to that situation.”
Stefon Diggs continues to be highly-productive in Bills’ offense
As it relates to Diggs’ reported frustration with his role in the offense, the 29-year-old has actually been among the league leaders at the position since coming over in a 2020 trade from the Minnesota Vikings.
2020: 166 targets, 127 receptions, 1,535 yards
2021: 164 targets, 103 receptions, 1,225 yards
2022: 154 targets, 108 receptions, 1,429 yards
Bills quarterback Josh Allen previously shared that Diggs’ issues are “non-football related.”
“Internally, we’re working on some things,” Allen said. “Not football-related. Stef, he’s my guy. I f—— love him. He’s a brother of mine. This does not work, what we’re doing here, without him.”