With another NFL offseason underway, speculation about Bills star wide receiver Stefon Diggs’ future in Buffalo continues to swirl. This past weekend, the four-time Pro Bowler once again published a series of cryptic posts on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, which has re-ignited trade rumors.
Although it’s impossible to predict what will come of Diggs’ latest posts, it would be understandable if Buffalo traded him this offseason. The Bills have made several cuts and contract restructures to alleviate their disastrous salary cap situation. Additionally, Diggs’ production plummeted in the second half of 2023, as he averaged a mere 45 receiving yards over his final seven regular season games while only scoring one touchdown.
By trading Diggs after June 1, Buffalo would save just over $19M in cap space for 2024 and incur $8.8M in dead money. If the Bills decide to unload him, here are three teams that could be a fit for the 30-year-old.
Arizona Cardinals
While Arizona can select a talented wideout with either of its first-round picks in next month’s draft, trading for Diggs would allow the team to get creative with the fourth overall pick. The Cardinals could potentially receive a massive haul for the selection, depending on the quarterback prospect that falls to them.
Arizona doesn’t necessarily need more draft capital since it has the most 2024 selections among teams (11), though trading the No. 4 overall pick could help expedite its rebuild. As a team with a quarterback earning the fifth-highest annual salary at the position, the sooner the Cardinals can get back into playoff contention, the better.
Even with Murray’s deal on the books, Arizona still has the ninth-most cap space in the NFL ($29.96M). Therefore, there’s no reason it shouldn’t explore a Diggs trade, especially since WR Marquise Brown signed with Kansas City last week. Perhaps a deal centered around one of the Cardinals’ three third-round picks would pique Buffalo’s interest.
Houston Texans
Texans GM Nick Caserio is determined to maximize the value of star QB C.J. Stroud’s rookie-scale contract. Caserio’s aggressiveness has helped make Houston one of the biggest winners of the offseason thus far, and it seems that he would like to add more talent to his already competent receiving corps.
Newly acquired Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen told reporters this past Saturday that the Texans were involved in trade discussions with the Chargers for his services before he was ultimately dealt to Chicago. According to KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson, Houston offered a 2025 third-round draft choice and a pick swap for Allen, who the team would then have attempted to sign to a contract extension.
If the Texans were prepared to shell out draft picks and an extension to acquire Allen, it wouldn’t be surprising if they pursued a Diggs trade. Houston has made significant strides to upgrade its defense, but adding a playmaker like Diggs to the offense could be the piece it needs to be a dark-horse Super Bowl contender in 2024.
New York Giants
It’s unclear whether New York would be willing to part with more draft capital after giving up some to swing a blockbuster trade for edge-rusher Brian Burns. However, there may not be another team that knows how to take advantage of Diggs’ strengths better than the Giants, considering HC Brian Daboll was his offensive coordinator in Buffalo for two seasons (2020-21).
In 2020, Diggs had his most productive season as a pro, leading the NFL in receptions (127) and receiving yards (1,535), becoming the first player in Bills history to achieve this feat. Overall, Diggs ranked third among wideouts in receptions (230) and fourth in receiving yards (2,760) during his time in Daboll’s system.
Given New York’s subpar quarterback situation, Diggs probably wouldn’t achieve the same level of elite production he had in Buffalo with the Giants. Nevertheless, with New York potentially in a position to land a signal-caller with its sixth overall pick, Diggs could prove to be the perfect target to aid a rookie’s development.
