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Stefon Diggs pens goodbye to Buffalo

profilephotocropby:Suzanne Halliburton04/04/24

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stefon diggs bills
Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Stefon Diggs said goodbye to the city of Buffalo and to Bills Mafia, the team’s passionate fan base, in a post he shared on social media.

Diggs did so Wednesday night, hours after Buffalo traded him to the Houston Texans, a team on the rise on the other side of the country. He can have a fresh start with quarterback C.J. Stroud and be closer to his family since his brother, Trevon Diggs plays for the Cowboys. It’s a four-hour drive between the two biggest cities in Texas.

“I can’t begin to express the amount of love and respect I have for the city of Buffalo,” Diggs wrote. “Four of the best years of my life. The city welcomed me with open arms. I’m forever grateful for you all and the Buffalo Bills organization!

“Something special was built over these years with some very special men, that will always have a place in my heart. Bills mafia, so many great memories created throughout the years. Those games were crazy because of you. Sadly good things come to an end until we meet again.” And he ended with the infinity sign and the No. 14, his jersey number.

Bills-Texans completed Stefon Diggs trade, Wednesday

The Bills and Texans pulled off the trade Wednesday morning. It was surprising, but then again, it wasn’t, given how much Diggs showed he wanted out of Buffalo with some of his actions. The Texans, a team very active this off-season in building their roster, presumably gets better with the addition of Diggs. Meanwhile, Buffalo is in desperate need of new receivers to help out Josh Allen, one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL.

Here are the key details: Houston receives Diggs, a sixth-round pick for next month’s draft, plus a fifth-rounder for next year. In return, the Bills get a second-round pick, which the Texans initially received in an earlier trade with the Vikings, in next year’s draft. Buffalo management also rids themselves of an unhappy player. About this time a year ago, Diggs was skipping mini camp. Then his production plummeted late in the season.

Bills receiver took social media shot at Josh Allen before trade

On Tuesday night, Diggs, seemingly, was taking a shot at Allen. Let’s set up that situation. ESPN personality Robert Griffin III, the 2011 Heisman winner and former NFL quarterback, posted a video on X last Saturday. RG3 asked “Is Stefon Diggs essential to Josh Allen’s success? He has been since he got to Buffalo in 2020, they are better together and if Stefon Diggs and Josh Allen stay together with the Buffalo Bills this year, their Championship window is WIDE OPEN.”

An X user who goes by the name “Peaky Pirate” answered RGIII. He wrote, “Does Josh benefit from having a top tier receiver, yes. Is he essential to his success, no.” That reply caught Diggs’ attention Tuesday night. He wrote, “You sure?” That comment generated all sorts of responses, with a good number showing support for Allen.

Diggs certainly is going to a hot team. The upstart Texans won the AFC South and reached the second round of the NFL playoffs, a season after they were the second-worst team in the league. Diggs now will be a top option for Stroud, last season’s NFL offensive rookie of the year.

Meanwhile, the Bills only have one wide receiver remaining on the roster who caught a pass for Buffalo last season. They likely will use the NFL Draft to repopulate the receiver depth chart.