You’ll Never Believe Stefon Diggs’ Beef with BUF
Mark Twain once wrote, “The past does not repeat itself, but it rhymes.”
Twain could write a book about Stefon Diggs and the Buffalo Bills if he still walked the earth.
You’ll Never Believe Stefon Diggs’ Beef with BUF
Diggs was the epicenter of controversy this week in western New York, curiously attending the first day of mandatory minicamp — but not really attending it — confusing his head coach and the NFL world on the whole.
The chaos began when NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted Tuesday, “Bills coach Sean McDermott told reporters that WR Stefon Diggs is not at mandatory minicamp and said he is ‘very concerned’ about it.”
Shortly thereafter, ESPN Adam Schefter tweeted, “Stefon Diggs’ agent, Adisa Bakari, said his client is in Buffalo, has been in Buffalo since yesterday morning, took his physical, met with the head coach and GM the past two days and the Pro-Bowl WR ‘will be there for the entirety of the minicamp.'”
If you’re keeping score at home, the Bills head coach said Diggs wasn’t there and that he was concerned. His agent said Diggs was there, and all was well. Then, it was revealed that Diggs was there but left — as if that would clear up the bafflement. Diggs later showed up for Day Two of camp, and Buffalo canceled Day Three.
On Sunday, though, the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin offered clarity on Diggs’ alleged disgruntlement — and it will sound eerily familiar for Vikings fans. Volin wrote, “Diggs’s frustration is with his role in the offense and his voice in play-calling, per a league source close to the Bills’ locker room. He was visibly agitated at Allen during the 27-10 playoff loss to the Bengals, stormed out of the locker room almost immediately after the game, and didn’t attend any voluntary workouts this offseason.”
To be clear, this is exactly what happened with Diggs and the Vikings in 2019. He skipped practice after a loss to the Chicago Bears, was fined out the wazoo, and later requested a trade from former Vikings GM Rick Spielman. The ex-Vikings executive obliged after the 2019 season, exporting Diggs to the Bills for draft picks that would turn into Justin Jefferson and Camryn Bynum, among others.
The bizarre part, however, is the circumstance. Diggs very vividly lived in a run-first offense four years ago with the Vikings, but such is not the case in Buffalo. The Bills typically throw the football at a Top 10 clip per playcalling percentage since Diggs joined the franchise.
Meanwhile, Diggs posted to Instagram Wednesday, “I just be letting people cap. If them lies help you sleep better tell em big dawg.”
Nobody had any idea what that meant, but Bills quarterback Josh Allen rushed to Diggs’ defense on Day One of minicamp, telling reporters, “I know internally we’re working on some things. Not football-related, but Stef, he’s my guy. Excuse my — I f**king love him. He’s a brother of mine. This does not work, what we’re doing here, without him. But I’ve got his back no matter what.”
‘Working on some things’ now apparently pertains to Diggs’ role in the offense, an utterly head-scratching development if the Volin reporting is accurate.
Since Diggs became a Bill in 2020, he’s the NFL’s second-most targeted wideout, tabulating 484 targets in three seasons, falling just 14 short of the pace-setter Davante Adams (498).
Diggs is also the NFL’s fifth highest-paid WR per average annual value. Ergo, with those two items — targeted like Jerry Rice and compensated handsomely — it’s difficult to determine how the Bills can fix Diggs’ unhappiness.
He turns 30 this November.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment.