In 2020, the Buffalo Bills knew they needed to get a number one wide receiver for Josh Allen to help their quarterback and the offense as a whole take that next step. General manager Brandon Beane would find that wide receiver by trading with the Minnesota Vikings for Stefon Diggs.
It was certainly a costly trade as the Bills would send their first round pick, 22nd overall, along with a fifth and sixth round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and a fourth round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft for the former University of Maryland wide receiver.
However, looking back at the trade it has seemingly worked out perfectly regardless of how it is looked at. Stefon Diggs has been one of the best wide receivers in the league and Josh Allen has ascended to being one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
Over the past three seasons, Diggs has had 338 receptions on 484 targets for 4,189 receiving yards and 29 receiving touchdowns. He would lead the league in receptions and receiving yards in 2020, his first season with the team.
The Buffalo Bills also signed Diggs to a contract extension last offseason that has him under contract through the 2027 season.
Another reason the trade for Stefon Diggs worked out great for the Buffalo Bills
While the Minnesota Vikings would get the pick right by selecting Justin Jefferson with the draft pick they got from the Buffalo Bills, the rest of the first round didn't work out as well. In fact, this draft has the lowest fifth year options picked up by teams since 2011, according to Pro Football Focus.
In total, there were only 12 players who had their options picked up by teams, which is five fewer than the next lowest total during this time period. When looking at the first round from the Bills original pick at 22nd, there was only one player who had their fifth year option picked up (Brandon Aiyuk) while Jordan Love did receive an extension from the Green Bay Packers.
The 2020 NFL Draft was the first impacted by the pandemic and it limited what teams could do in terms of working out and meeting with prospects. This could have certainly played a role in the low number of fifth year options exercised.
However, this is just another example of why it was a smart trade on the part of general manager Brandon Beane and the Buffalo Bills to trade away that pick for a player like Stefon Diggs who they would have a better understanding of what they were getting.