The Buffalo Payments traded four-time Professional Bowl vast receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans for draft decide compensation Wednesday.
The Payments obtained a 2025 second-round decide (by way of the Minnesota Vikings) in change for Diggs, a 2024 sixth-round decide (No. 189 general) and a 2025 fifth-round decide. The Texans acquired that decide from the Vikings once they traded their 2024 first-round decide to Minnesota final month.
The commerce comes a day after Diggs responded “You positive?” to a social media consumer’s declaration that he wasn’t important to Payments quarterback Josh Allen‘s success.
“I wish to thank Stef for 4 actually good seasons,” Payments basic supervisor Brandon Beane mentioned Wednesday. “… Actually admire the whole lot he delivered to the crew, was an enormous a part of us successful 4 divisions. These strikes are by no means simple. Very laborious. Not made in a single day or something like that, however anytime you make a transfer like this … You are attempting to win, and typically individuals could not see that.
“That is certainly not the Payments giving up or attempting to take a step again or something like that. The whole lot we do, we’re attempting to win. And we’ll proceed to do this.”
Beane declined to say whether or not Diggs or his agent requested a commerce.
It is the most recent win-now transfer for the Texans, who’re surrounding quarterback C.J. Stroud with veteran expertise this offseason.
The Texans traded for working again Joe Mixon final month, buying him from the Cincinnati Bengals after which signing him to a three-year, $27 million extension. In addition they made a splash on the defensive aspect, signing star pass-rusher Danielle Hunter to a two-year, $49 million contract, together with $48 million assured, in free company.
Diggs, 30, joins a loaded Texans offense that’s headlined by Stroud, the NFL’s reigning Offensive Rookie of the Yr, and contains Mixon, receivers Nico Collins and Tank Dell and tight finish Dalton Schultz.
Within the 2023 season, Dell was on tempo for 1,205 receiving yards earlier than struggling a season-ending damage within the first quarter in opposition to the Denver Broncos in Week 13. Dell and Stroud completed with the eighth most passing yards for a first-year quarterback and vast receiver duo (709). Collins ranked eighth in receiving yards (1,297) and had eight touchdowns.
Final month, the Texans tried to commerce for Keenan Allen and supplied a Day 2 decide from the 2025 draft. The Los Angeles Chargers as a substitute despatched Allen to the Chicago Bears, but it surely was an indication the Texans had been keen to enhance their receiver core to assist Stroud in his second season.
The Payments, in the meantime, have moved on from a number of veterans this offseason. Buffalo launched cornerstone defensive gamers Tre’Davious White and Jordan Poyer and beginning middle Mitch Morse in wage cap strikes. As well as, receiver Gabriel Davis signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars and out of doors linebacker Leonard Floyd signed with the San Francisco 49ers in free company.
Final season, Diggs had repeatedly publicly expressed a dedication to the Payments and a need to retire with the crew. The three-time captain signed a four-year, $104 million contract extension in April 2022.
The Payments will carry a useless cash cost of $31.096 million subsequent season after buying and selling Diggs, in accordance with Roster Administration System. That would be the highest identified useless cash cost ever for a large receiver in any season, in accordance with ESPN Stats & Info analysis.
“The timing is the worth that you simply’re being supplied for the participant versus what you suppose is truthful, and also you’re all the time trying not solely at this 12 months, however you are all the time trying in future years as nicely,” Beane mentioned. “… I feel everyone knows what we walked into this 12 months, this league 12 months, with the wage cap and the place we had been. And whereas, sure, we’ll eat slightly bit this 12 months, it frees over $27 million off of our cap and offers us some extra flexibility sooner or later.”
Final 12 months, Diggs was “excused” from the primary day of the crew’s obligatory minicamp by coach Sean McDermott, who mentioned he thought the matter together with his star receiver was “resolved.” That clarification got here a day after he had mentioned he was “very involved” about Diggs’ absence.
“Stef is a really aggressive man, and I would not wish to change that for him, and I do not suppose that was one thing that once we acquired him, I feel we had been very conscious of his aggressive nature,” Beane mentioned. “… When you decide like this, it is typically you already know, except somebody broke the regulation and did one thing very dangerous, and it is typically not one factor. … Making the choice, and also you’re contemplating all components.”
Diggs spoke through the season about his continued dedication to the Payments, saying in November, “I’ve by no means actually mentioned something about being sad or any occasion of that. So, if you’re drawing conclusions as to stuff I’ve by no means mentioned, that is what sort of troubles me as a result of it sort of throws a wrench in it. It sort of creates chaos the place I have not created.
“Chaos created round me, whereas I simply been in the identical house, I have been in the identical place, and I’ve spoken true phrases. I’ve mentioned the identical factor time and again and over. So, if you draw a conclusion as to how I really feel in my foreseeable future right here, I’ve by no means mentioned something, however I used to be a Buffalo Invoice. I gave it the whole lot I obtained. I am knowledgeable and I deal with this sport as such.”
On the time, Diggs was distancing himself from tweets his brother, Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs, wrote, together with: “Man 14 Gotta stand up outta there.”
Stefon Diggs’ manufacturing decreased following the primary six video games of the 2023 season. He didn’t have one other 100-yard receiving sport the remainder of the season and solely caught three extra touchdowns. Over the Payments’ last seven video games of final season, together with the playoffs, Diggs averaged 41.0 receiving yards per sport and had zero touchdowns. It is the one time in Diggs’ profession that he has gone seven straight video games with no landing.
Beane mentioned after the season that he nonetheless seen Diggs as a No. 1 receiver.
Diggs set a wide range of crew and league data throughout his time with the crew, together with being certainly one of 4 gamers in NFL historical past to file 4 consecutive seasons with 100-plus receptions (Antonio Brown, Davante Adams and Marvin Harrison are the others).
His acquisition in 2020 (in a commerce with the Vikings that included the Payments’ first-round decide) coincided with the rise of Allen’s efficiency. Allen’s second-best whole QBR within the NFL and 137 passing touchdowns in that span path solely Patrick Mahomes.
Diggs is certainly one of two receivers to be chosen to the Professional Bowl in every of the previous 4 seasons, together with Tyreek Hill.
The commerce of Diggs leaves a Payments depth chart topped by 2024 free agent additions Curtis Samuel (Washington Commanders), Mack Hollins (Atlanta Falcons) and Khalil Shakir, who had 39 receptions for 611 yards and two touchdowns for Buffalo final season.
Beane pointed a number of instances Wednesday to the crew’s roster being a piece in progress at this level within the 12 months.
“Are we higher immediately? Most likely not. It is a work in progress, and we’ll proceed to work on that. I’d simply hope that folks know I am aggressive as hell, and I ain’t giving in,” Beane mentioned. “… [We’ll] be able to roll when it comes time in September.”
Upon the information of the commerce, ESPN BET moved the Texans from +140 to +115 to win the AFC South, from 11-1 to +750 to win the AFC and from 22-1 to 18-1 to win the Tremendous Bowl. The Payments, in the meantime, moved from +135 to +160 to win the AFC East, from +600 to +750 to win the AFC and from 12-1 to 13-1 to win the Tremendous Bowl.
Diggs will face his outdated crew subsequent season because the Texans will host the Payments at NRG Stadium. The date of the sport will not be identified till the 2024 schedule is launched, probably in Could.
ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime, Alaina Getzenberg and Doug Greenberg contributed to this report.