All offseason, Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs downplayed the notion that he's unhappy in Buffalo. Ten weeks into the 2023 season, however, his brother, Trevon, is urging him to leave the team altogether after the Bills' Monday night loss to the Broncos.
"Man 14 Gotta get up outta there," Trevon posted on X (formerly Twitter) after Denver upset the Bills on a walk-off field goal in a wild ending. He also posted "let's not forget, he didn't start going off till bro got there," referencing quarterback Josh Allen.
Since Stefon has arrived in Buffalo in 2020, he leads the NFL in catches (411) on the second-most targets (586) while his 5,057 receiving yards are the fourth most in the league in that span. His 411 receptions account for 28.7% of Buffalo's entire team catches since 2020, the most by a player for a single team in the NFL. On Thursday, Diggs cooled the flames surrounding rumors of his dissatisfaction given that he clarirfied that he hasn't spoken with Trevon about his thoughts on the Bills season of late.
"I can't [answer] the questions as to why he feels [that way]," Stefon said to local media. "I haven't had the personal conversation with him [Trevon]. Obviously, he's coming from more of a fan perspective [watching from home]. But that is my family, so I handle my family with the utmost respect, and I hope that people treat it that way. So when people speak on my family, [I hope they] have a level of integrity as well. … Tread lightly when you're talking about my family."
The elder Diggs, who co-leads the NFL in catches this season (73) and is the league's most targeted wide receiver (102), was held to just three catches for 34 yards in Buffalo's 24-22 loss, which saw the Bills commit four turnovers and drop to 5-5 on the season. His quarterback, Josh Allen, scored a go-ahead touchdown late in the contest, only for Bills' penalties to then assist Denver's frenetic last-second field goal.
"I'm not responsible for how other people feel," Diggs said to local media. "Anybody in this room for that matter. A reporter, a player, even my own brother. I love my brother, and the space my brother is coming from is my family. You want to know how he feels, you gotta take it up with him. Putting me in a position -- or me having a conversation with my brother, that's in-house family rules. But for me, I can't combat or answer all the questions as to why. … That's something you're going to have to ask my brother."
This isn't the first time this calendar year that a frustrating Buffalo defeat has led to speculation about Diggs' standing with the team. Diggs angrily gestured and yelled at Allen in their 27-10 AFC divisional-round loss at home last January and then stormed out of the locker room early postgame.
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The Pro Bowler was notably absent at the start of the Bills' mandatory minicamp in the spring, a year after signing a $96 million contract extension. He told reporters after returning to work that "all is well," suggesting "everybody has family issues." And both Allen and general manager Brandon Beane echoed as much, arguing that Diggs remains a pivotal part of the Bills' long-term plans.
However, his production the last four weeks has noticeably declined after a terrific start to the 2023 season. He had over 100 receiving yards in five of the team's first six games as well as five receiving touchdowns. Across the last four weeks, however, Diggs has not cracked the century mark and only has two touchdowns.
Stefon Diggs This Season
| Weeks 1-6 | Weeks 7-10 | |
|---|---|---|
Targets/Game | 11.0* | 9.0 |
Rec/Game | 8.2 | 6.0 |
Rec YPG | 103.3 | 62.0 |
Rec TD | 5* | 2 |
* Top five in NFL
Trevon, who plays for the Cowboys, likely sees Stefon's numbers from the last four weeks, and he might see red. Back in 2019, before Stefon all but orchestrated a trade from the Vikings to the Bills, Trevon hinted at his brother's displeasure by posting a picture of his brother in a different uniform on Instagram. Both sides eventually downplayed the move as social-media fodder, but Stefon was dealt to Buffalo the following offseason, apparently unhappy with his utilization in Minnesota's offense.
