On Wednesday, the Bills moved on from receiver Stefon Diggs. It seemed to be coming, the result of an accumulation of little things that made it hard for Buffalo to justify continuing the relationship.
There was one fairly big thing that happened in Week 1 of the 2023 season. Tim Graham, who covers the Bills for TheAthletic.com, mentioned on his podcast an incident between Allen and Diggs after the season-opening loss to the Jets, who lost quarterback Aaron Rodgers after only four plays.
Per Graham, Diggs approached Allen in the locker room, and Allen didn’t react well to whatever Diggs said.
“I didn’t know what Stefon Diggs said to him, but Josh Allen snapped at him,” Graham said, via LarryBrownSports.com. “He said, ‘It’s one f—ing game!’ and kind of motioned like I’m not talking to you here. And Diggs walked away and Josh sat there. In retrospect, keeping in mind this was Week 1 when for all we know everyone is hunky dory, but looking back on it I wish I would have included that in my story or made some sort of reference to it. Maybe Stefon Diggs was saying something nice to him, but [Allen] didn’t snap at anybody else.”
Chances are Allen didn’t snap without a reason. He doesn’t seem to be that way. Maybe he was on edge after throwing three interceptions and losing in prime time to Zach Wilson. Or maybe Diggs made a comment that pushed his buttons.
By trading Diggs, the Bills are trying to reshape the team around Allen during the remaining years of his prime. They want no impediments to his ability to lead. They want none of the minor issues from Diggs that eventually became a big enough deal to trade him.
