Texans WR Stefon Diggs comes out firing against notion that Bills got ‘rid’ of him

Wide receiver Stefon Diggs has reflected on his final year with the Buffalo Bills just ahead of his first season with the Houston Texans.

Among other things, Diggs clarified in an interview with Clay Skipper of GQ Sports that the Bills did not decide to let him go because of his performance decline in the second half of the 2023 season, disclaiming a narrative that has been circulating since he was traded to the Texans early in the offseason. Diggs said it was he, not the other way around, who decided to leave the Bills.

“None of those teams wanted to get rid of me,” Diggs said, explaining that both times he has been traded in his career, the decisions were made by him. “Things had to shake because I kind of wanted them to shake.”

Wide receiver Stefon Diggs of the Houston Texans - Source: Getty

Stefon Diggs was traded for the second time in his career this year. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL draft. He was a member of the organization from 2015 until 2019, during which he recorded consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons in his final two years there.

The Vikings acquired first-round, fourth-round, fifth-round and sixth-round selections from the Bills in 2020 in exchange for the veteran wide receiver and a seventh-round draft pick. That happened after the two sides' relationship deteriorated and Diggs stopped showing up to team workouts and meetings.

Diggs has now clarified that he decided to part ways with the Vikings and the Bills when he thought his time was up with both teams.

Diggs was chosen for the Pro Bowl every season during his four years with the Bills, and he developed a strong rapport with quarterback Josh Allen on the field. He did, however, leave the organization in the offseason when Buffalo traded him to the Houston Texans along with a 2024 sixth-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick. In exchange, the Bills received the 2025 second-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings.

Exploring Stefon Diggs' stats with the Buffalo Bills

Stefon Diggs is one of the NFL's top receivers and has been a key component of the Buffalo Bills' regular season success since joining the team in 2020. He amassed 5,372 receiving yards and 37 touchdowns in four seasons with Buffalo.

Since he joined the Bills, Diggs is fourth in the NFL in both receiving yards and touchdowns, surpassing 1,000 yards and eight or more scores in each of his four seasons with the team. He also recorded a career-high 1,535 receiving yards in 2020 and a career-high 11 touchdowns in a single season in 2022.

This season, Diggs is set to form a powerful combination with one of the league's most intriguing young talents, quarterback C.J. Stroud, who was named Rookie of the Year last season with the Texans.

Houston's wide receiver corps is loaded in 2024, providing Stroud with an abundance of targets to hit with the ball. The wide receiver group, which is led by Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins and Tank Dell, is deep, thanks to the bench players John Metchie III, Xavier Hutchinson, Robert Woods, and Steven Sims.