Josh Allen, the Buffalo Bills quarterback, has expressed his regret over the team’s decision to let go of Stefon Diggs. He confessed that he considered Diggs “like a brother” and wished the team could have retained the superstar wide receiver.
Diggs, 30, had four incredibly successful seasons at Orchard Park, surpassing 1,100 receiving yards in each season and leading the league in yardage and receptions in 2020.
However, there was off-field tension between the team and the former Minnesota Vikings star, which was heightened by Diggs’ social media activity. His brother Trevon, a standout defensive back for the Dallas Cowboys, also publicly voiced his brother’s frustrations on several occasions.
Earlier this month, Diggs was traded by the Bills to the Houston Texans in exchange for a 2025 second-round pick. He seems to be an ideal match for the emerging offense at NRG Stadium, led by quarterback C.J. Stroud.
On Friday, Allen admitted to reporters that Diggs’ absence will be keenly felt in Buffalo.
“[Diggs] meant a lot. Look at the statistics. The numbers don’t lie,” Allen said at a pre-draft press conference. “It’s definitely hard to part ways with a guy that’s been instrumental to our success here. I wish we could keep everybody. We lost a lot of veteran leadership. It is what it is. I don’t get paid to make changes on the team.”
Bills head coach Sean McDermott, meanwhile, has confessed that Diggs is “irreplaceable” for the Bills, who have the 28th overall pick in the NFL Draft starting in Detroit on Thursday.
“It’s tough, isn’t it? Stef’s a fantastic player,” McDermott shared with journalists. “We really enjoyed our time together. We won many games. He played a significant role in those victories. We’ll miss him. You can’t replace a player like Stef Diggs. We wish him all the best, Stef and his family.
“It’s hard to move on from a player of that calibre but now we turn our attention back to our squad and look forward to the opportunities for others to step up. ”
However, general manager Brandon Beane is more hopeful about Buffalo’s receiving corps ahead of the draft, asserting that the team will not act rashly to fill the gap left by Diggs.
“We haven’t filled a No.1 role,” Beane stated. “I would say we have a group of guys as we sit here today who we believe bring different skill sets. We like the group. Would we like to add to it at some point? Yes. But I’m not sitting here thinking we have a glaring hole. But I understand the question, and I get the perception.”
