Whenever teams make trades, the idea is for there to be a positive outcome for both organizations.
But that doesn’t usually happen.
That’s part of why the Bills trade for wide receiver Stefon Diggs feels rare. Minnesota drafted Justin Jefferson with the first-round pick acquired in the deal, and he finished with 88 receptions for 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns — more yards than Diggs ever had in Minnesota.
But Diggs led the league with 127 receptions and 1,535 yards receiving, setting Buffalo franchise records in the process. In three postseason games, Diggs caught 20 passes for 311 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
“I thought it was a win-win. First off, I thought Minnesota did a nice job of filling that void that they lost with Stef,” General Manager Brandon Beane said in his season-ending press conference. "[Diggs] came in and he and I and Sean [McDermott] sat down for a half hour and we talked about what went well in Minnesota, what didn’t go well, things that he learned, and things that we could learn about him. And he owned up. He didn’t come in here pointing fingers [saying], ‘It was all them.’ We said, you’re going to have a fresh start. This is what we expect. And he was just golden from start to finish.”
Beane noted how Diggs elevated the standard of practice, particularly in one-on-one drills with cornerback Tre’Davious White.
“He jelled with the guys. He wanted to be one of the guys. He didn’t try to be something different. He’s a magnetic personality,” Beane said. “We’ll take as many Stef Diggs as we can get on this team.”