Oh, MAN!
Wednesday in the NFL was a wild one as the Buffalo Bills shockingly traded No. 1 receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans. It’s a move that almost no one saw coming and will almost certainly send ripples and shockwaves throughout the AFC South, the AFC East, and the entire pantheon of Super Bowl contenders. It makes me think about how Josh Allen can even fathom succeeding in 2024. It makes me wonder whether the current ceiling on CJ Stroud is too low. Above all, I’m trying to consider what the plan is for both Buffalo and Houston.
Let’s examine the finer details of the Diggs trade between the Bills and Texans and assign appropriate grades to both teams.
The details
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, here’s what both teams received in the Diggs trade:
- The Texans get: WR Stefon Diggs, a 2024 sixth-round draft pick, a 2025 fifth-round draft pick
- The Bills get: A 2025 second-round draft pick (via Minnesota Vikings)
Houston Texans
Make no mistake. The Texans know very well that CJ Stroud is one of the brighter young quarterbacks in football. So they’re not going to waste any time giving him a championship-caliber supporting cast befitting of his abilities. They’re going all in on Super Bowl contention as soon as possible. Trading for Diggs is the best evidence of that.
Even after trading for Diggs, Houston remains a young team without many long-term salary cap commitments. Acquiring a perennial Pro Bowl playmaker for the princely of a 2025 second-round draft selection is a coup. It lets them continue unimpeded while fortifying their foundation in the 2024 NFL Draft while also surrendering a somewhat low price for one of the league’s more proven receivers. (Note: He’s under contract until 2027, too!)
It is the Texans having their cake and eating it, too.
What’s more, they’re technically accounting for Diggs’ advanced age. He will no longer be expected to shoulder the load of an entire passing offense by himself. The promising duo of Nico Collins and Tank Dell are more than capable of drawing enough defensive attention that should allow Diggs’ play to age like a fine wine in Houston.
CJ Stroud is now a bona fide MVP candidate. The Texans are the clear, far-and-away favorite in the AFC South as a team that could play in February’s Big Game. And Diggs doesn’t have to do everything by himself anymore. A win-win for everyone involved in Texas.
Grade: A+
Buffalo Bills
Poor Josh Allen.
Smack dab in the middle of a Super Bowl window, the Bills traded away Allen’s only proven receiver (who also still probably has plenty left in the tank). This is a move for the future of Buffalo, as it didn’t even acquire 2024 draft compensation while eating $31 million in dead salary cap money. Something must have happened to finally permanently sour Diggs’ relationship with the Bills because jettisoning him like this with no real plan for 2024 feels a bit rash.
I can understand if the Bills felt Diggs was on the decline. I can understand if they might have felt like he was a bit of a headache. But Allen isn’t getting any younger. And the AFC gets stronger by the day. I respect Buffalo for somewhat conceding what might be a very stupid and frustrating 2024 season. I don’t understand potentially throwing away a year of Allen’s prime — without getting any immediate help — while you’re still on the precipice.
The Bills were tremendously injured and just a missed field goal away from potentially playing for last year’s Super Bowl. I just hope they don’t lose sight of that fact and that trading away Diggs wasn’t done on the basis of emotion. Because it sure feels like it.
Grade: C
