Less than 24 hours after news of the Stefon Diggs trade broke, Buffalo Bills GM Brandon Beane was making media rounds talking about the blockbuster move with the Houston Texans that yielded a 2025 second-round pick (that Houston had acquired from the Minnesota Vikings). The Bills also sent a 2024 sixth-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick to the Texans as part of the deal.
An immediate question on the minds of fans and analysts alike was the involvement of star QB Josh Allen on the decision to ship his All-Pro wide receiver out of town. One would think no move be finalized without specific input from Allen seeing that he is, in almost every way that matters, the franchise. Brandon Beane's response to this question was not what people expected.
“I did alert [Allen] that there had been some inquiries and it wasn’t 100 percent off the table,” said Beane. “
Although Beane specifically mentioned having regular conversations with Allen to make sure "he’s not blindsided” by anything, the Bills GM made no mention that he spoke to Allen before the move was finalized. In fact, it is entirely possible Allen found out the way we most of the NFL world did - on X (formerly Twitter).
The trade leaves Allen with his worst WR group since the days of Zay Jones (before he could catch the ball), Robert Foster, and Duke Williams. Buffalo lost Gabe Davis in free agency to the Jacksonville Jaguars and no one on the current roster demands double coverage. The team's depth chart will now feature players like Khalil Shakir, Curtis Samuel, and Mack Hollins, none of whom had more than 700 receiving yards last season.
The Bills not only didn't receive a 2024 draft pick in return for Diggs, but actually gave up one of their own and took the dead cap hit for 2024 of around $31 million.
Why Brandon Beane did not directly involve Josh Allen directly in any decision to move Stefon Diggs is perplexing. There is surely more to come as to why over the coming weeks and months.