Last Tuesday, June 13, Buffalo Bills superstar receiver Stefon Diggs showed up to practice then mysteriously left. A lot of reporters and media outlets speculated that the absence was unexcused, however at a press conference the following day, Bills head coach Sean McDermott clarified that he relieved Diggs from practice.
The same day as McDermott’s press conference, a quote was released from Diggs’ agent, Adisa Bakari, saying “There are things – on the way to being worked out.” The media began to speculate about what could be causing this friction between Diggs and the team and while there is no solid evidence or indication as to what the dispute is about, the most common theories are that the issues stem from a lack of involvement in play-calling or his salary.
There are many sources that believe Diggs’ frustrations have to do with the salary reduction he agreed to back in March. It was widely reported that the Bills receiver converted $5.4 million of his 2023 salary to a signing bonus which lowers the team’s cap hit by that number. According to unconfirmed reports, Diggs took the pay cut to create money for the team to go after Hopkins. While the Bills have constantly been linked to Hopkins, their actual involvement with his free agency tours has been little to none. If this is truly the reason for Diggs’ absence and frustrations, it is easy to understand how this could upset him.
Previous Behavior Issues
One thing that is known about Diggs is that he can turn his back on a team in a heartbeat. Remember, back in 2019 when he was still with the Minnesota Vikings, Diggs accumulated approximately $200,000 in fines for missing imperative team meetings and practices. He claimed the reason was because he simply “wasn’t feeling well,” but the team said the absence was unexcused. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Diggs behavior and attitude around the building was so concerning that teammates wondered if he even wanted to be there.
These concerns all came to a head on January 5, 2020, during the Vikings playoff matchup against the New Orleans Saints. Multiple times throughout the 4th quarter of the game, Diggs was shown on the sidelines having outbursts, screaming at players, and just visibly upset. He finished the game with only two catches for 19 yards, which to be frank is bad for a receiver of his caliber. Of course, this got swept under the rug because the Vikings ended up winning the game, but the damage was done. On March 17 of that same year, Diggs was dealt to his current team, the Buffalo Bills.
What This Means for Buffalo
What’s alarming for Buffalo is that back in January during their home loss to the Cincinatti Bengals in the playoffs, Diggs was shown yelling at quarterback Josh Allen. While they are very close friends, this is deeply concerning for the Bills because this is the same behavior that
facilitated his departure from Minnesota. The Bills have managed to keep their star together mentally for most of his tenure in Buffalo, but Diggs has proved to be a ticking time bomb in the past. Because of how happy he has been with the squad, the organization could very well fix things with their franchise cornerstone, but it will be a tricky task.
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