The Houston Texans appear to be gearing up for a Super Bowl challenge after a wildly successful rookie season from quarterback CJ Stroud with a trade for Stefon Diggs.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Texans will send a 2025 second-round draft pick to the Bills in return for Diggs, a 2024 sixth-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick. The Texans unexpectedly won the AFC South last season behind a superb debut season from Stroud, who was named NFL offensive rookie of the year and threw 23 touchdowns to just five interceptions. After finishing last in their division in 2022, the Texans reached the divisional round of the playoffs and Stroud became the youngest starting quarterback in history to win a postseason game.
The 30-year-old Diggs is a four-time Pro Bowler and led the league in receiving yards in 2020. He has had more than 1,000 receiving yards every season since 2018, and helped the Bills become a consistent force in the playoffs alongside quarterback Josh Allen. However, he is at an age when many receivers’ production starts to drop off, and he caused occasional stirs with several sideline outbursts and the frustration he showed after the Bills’ 2022 season ended with a 27-10 loss to Cincinnati in a divisional round playoff.
The dustups led to Diggs having to several times reiterate his loyalty to the Bills, including him saying he wanted to finish his career in Buffalo.
“I take my job seriously. You can see how I play. You can see how I play. You can see how I practice,” Diggs said in November. “They’ve never questioned me as a player, and as a man of what I bring to the table. So me being fully invested has never really been in question.”
As well as Diggs arrival, the Texans have added other weapons this offseason. They acquired running back Joe Mixon from the Cincinnati Bengals and added star pass rusher Danielle Hunter in free agency. Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr was named defensive rookie of the year last season.
The Bills, meanwhile, look set for a period of change. They released veterans Tre’Davious White, Jordan Poyer and Mitch Morse for salary cap reasons. Receiver Gabe Davis joined the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency.
