Andrew Buller-Russ
All-Pro receiver Stefon Diggs created his own buzz on Tuesday morning by choosing not to participate in the Buffalo Bills’ mandatory minicamp. It began with head coach Sean McDermott admitting he and the team were “very concerned” about their star offensive weapon’s absence.
Shortly after, in a sign of clear miscommunication, the Bills later revealed, through Diggs’ agent Adisa Bakari, that the athlete did show up for camp on Monday and took his physical as per usual. The plan, according to Bakari, is for Diggs to be there for the “entirety of the minicamp.” The Bills’ minicamp only runs through Thursday.
Meanwhile, his quarterback Josh Allen has since backed up Diggs with a response to Tuesday’s odd events:
“I know internally we’re working on some things. Not football-related, but Stef, he’s my guy. Excuse my … I f—ing love him. He’s a brother of mine. This does not work, what we’re doing here, without him.”
Bills QB Josh Allen on Stefon Diggs
But now, instead of his agent, QB, or coach speaking for him, Diggs has finally chimed in on the matter himself. Here’s Diggs’ social media post from Instagram on Tuesday night.
Yet another cryptic post from the three-time Pro Bowl receiver. While it’s unclear exactly what he’s referring to, it’s obvious the 29-year-old Maryland native is saying someone is telling lies.
Ignoring the possibility that Diggs could very well be going through non-football-related issues, as Allen alludes to, the football side of us can’t help but wonder how this could be a specific slight at someone on the team.
Who spoke today? We have quotes from his head coach, his quarterback, and his agent. Is one of them telling a lie? Players can fire agents. They can’t fire coaches or their QB.
So what is Diggs so upset about that he feels the need to air his grievances slyly on social media? He’s the fifth-highest-paid receiver in the NFL, a deal that was just signed last April. The Bills are always knocking on the door of Super Bowl contention, but like every other team who doesn’t win, they have fallen short.
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Meanwhile, Diggs remains one of the best receivers in the NFL, and Allen is a top-five QB. It’s hard to find a better situation, and besides, Diggs has been here and done this before, beginning with cryptic tweets as he somewhat forced his way out of Minnesota once the Vikings got an offer too good to refuse.
They say history repeats itself. Is that the path we’re about to see Diggs head down once again? If both parties are ready to move on, the Bills could likely get an impressive trade haul for the playmaking receiver, but not nearly as good as if he would keep his frustrations in-house.
Forcing your way out of two different NFL cities that embraced his highs and his lows isn’t exactly endearing to other organizations, yet good talent is hard to find. This also likely means the Bills, just months shy of the start of their season, would much rather find a way to make things work with their top offensive weapon than move on without him.
It should also be noted that trading Diggs at any point this year would incur a $44 million dead cap charge this season. That’s a number that’s just too big to take on.
Without a trade seeming feasible, knowing Wednesday is just the start of another mandatory day of minicamp, seeing what move Diggs or the Bills make next will be fascinating to watch.
Related: Stefon Diggs airs frustrations over Buffalo Bills’ playoff struggles
