Six years ago, the Buffalo Bills were coming off a heartbreaking wild card round loss to the Houston Texans in overtime and there was plenty to be excited about Josh Allen and the future of the Buffalo Bills. They added some necessary help around him to grow as a player which included John Brown and Cole Beasley. However, the team still needed to bring in a new dynamic to elevate the team.
That move came when on March 16th, 2020, Jay Glazer reported that the Bills were trading for wide receiver Stefon Diggs from the Minnesota Vikings and that it would give Josh Allen his true No. 1 receiver.
Bills have acquired @stefondiggs in a trade from the Vikings. @NFLonFOX
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) March 17, 2020
The Bills acquired Diggs and a 2020 7th-round pick in exchange for a 2020 1st-round, 2020 5th-round, 2020 6th-round, and 2021 4th-round pick. The most notable pick used by the Vikings was that first rounder when they selected Justin Jefferson.
Despite what happened between the Bills and Diggs at the end of their tenure together, trading for Diggs is what jumpstarted the Bills to becoming a true contender in the league.
Bills traded for Stefon Diggs on this day 6 years ago (and it worked out greatly)
In four seasons with the Bills, Diggs averaged over 1,300 yards per season and had no less than 8 touchdowns in a season. He led the league in receiving yards his first year in Buffalo with over 1,500 yards. He also had no less than 103 targets in a season.
The duo of him and Josh Allen were the best QB/WR duo in the league and at one point, they seemed unstoppable. However as we all know, all good things eventually come to an end.
Going into the 2023 season, the chemistry was off between the Bills and Diggs and once Joe Brady took over for Ken Dorsey as the interim offensive coordinator, the Bills learned quickly that they could win without Diggs being the focal point of the offense.
After the Bills lost to the Kansas City Chiefs (once again) in the playoffs, Buffalo ended up trading Diggs to the Houston Texans where he only played half a season there due to a torn ACL and then eventually ended up with the New England Patriots.
Diggs was released by the Patriots earlier this month and now is a current free agent, but considering that the Bills took on a dead cap hit of over $30 million when they traded him, it seems like it would be very tough to imagine a reunion between Diggs and the Bills.
Even with everything going downhill, the Bills trading for Diggs will always be one of, if not the main reason why Buffalo became a powerhouse within the NFL today.