No end in sight for latest Bills drama involving Stefon Diggs
The Buffalo Bills started mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, but star wideout Stefon Diggs was not in attendance. Diggs' absence has head coach Sean McDermott "very concerned", which easily made headlines throughout the NFL landscape. When it comes to Diggs, it's been an odd last several months. There was the heated sideline exchange with Josh Allen […]
The Buffalo Bills started mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, but star wideout Stefon Diggs was not in attendance. Diggs' absence has head coach Sean McDermott "very concerned", which easily made headlines throughout the NFL landscape.
When it comes to Diggs, it's been an odd last several months. There was the heated sideline exchange with Josh Allen during the Bills' 27-10 playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, he unfollowed the Bills and subsequently followed the Dallas Cowboys on Instagram, and then recently, he decided to no-show for OTAs.
Right now, there is no simple out when it comes to the drama surrounding Diggs and the Bills and it doesn't seem like there's an end in sight.
Is there a rift between Diggs and the Bills?
That's what it seems like on the surface, but there are more layers underneath. Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Diggs' agent said the All-Pro wideout will be there for the "entirety" of mandatory minicamp, despite his absence at the start.
This obviously doesn't make a ton of sense as the definition of the word entirety is literally "the state of being complete". If Diggs isn't there at the beginning and his head coach is worried, that's not the correct definition.
Schefter later said on Sportscenter that something is "amiss" between the two sides and that they'll be able to "hash things out" during minicamp.
Could it be health concerns?
Another really interesting -and potentially concerning- layer that was added Tuesday is Diggs' health. Per WGRZ Buffalo's Adam Benigni and Vic Carucci, Diggs showed up Monday for his pre-camp medical testing, but obviously did not show up the next day.
Let's hope it's nothing medically-related. Based off Diggs' agent, it doesn't sound like that's the case, but again, that tweet is a bit inaccurate to begin with.
Is it financially-related?
Per Spotrac, Diggs is set to make $24.415 million in cash this year, which makes him the third-highest paid receiver in that context. Only Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill are making more cash in 2023.
He's also under contract through the 2027 season and he's set to make more than $86 million in cash from 2024-2027, so, it certainly doesn't seem like financials should be an issue. But at the same time, NFL players have to rake in as much money as possible while they can. Diggs will be 35 once his contract is up, and, most likely, there will be zero teams willing to ink him to another big deal.
So, maybe Diggs is looking for one last raise.
Either way, it doesn't look like we are going to receive any answers or closure to this situation anytime soon. The Bills aren't in a spot to move Diggs via cut or trade, either. And why would they in the first place? Not only would they be getting rid of one of their best players, but they'd be splitting up one the best QB-WR combos in him and Josh Allen. Plus, Diggs has been huge for Allen's development – it'd be a dumb idea to break that up.
Who knows how this all shakes out, but one thing's for sure: everyone is going to be monitoring every next step of this situation for as long as its needed.
Bills are ‘very concerned’ about WR Stefon Diggs
The Buffalo Bills are reportedly ‘very concerned’ about superstar wide receiver Stefon Diggs
Featured image via Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
