The Buffalo Bills pulled off one of the most surprising moves of the offseason on Wednesday when they traded star wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans in exchange for a 2025 second-round pick. The Texans got Diggs along with a 2024 sixth-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick.
This trade has a massive impact on the Bills, Texans, AFC, NFL and more. So, here’s a comprehensive look at the fallout of the trade, starting with the winners and losers of the deal.
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Winners and Losers:
Winners:
Texans QB C.J. Stroud
After already adding players like running back Joe Mixon and defensive end Danielle Hunter this offseason, the Texans continue to put in effort to build a team around Stroud. Now, they add an All-Pro wide receiver in Diggs.
Diggs joins receivers Tank Dell and Nico Collins to provide Stroud with a bevy of weapons at his disposal. In his rookie season, Stroud already threw for over 4,000 yards, won the division, took his team to the divisional round of the playoffs, and won Offensive Rookie of the Year. With Diggs, Stroud’s ceiling has risen even higher.
Texans GM Nick Caserio
Caserio continues to nail the recent moves he’s made. He appears to have struck gold in head coach DeMeco Ryans and Stroud, and now adds a proven receiver in Diggs for a low price. All in all, Caserio has done what many teams with young, talented quarterbacks fail to do — put in true effort to surround their quarterback with a strong roster.
Losers:
Bills QB Josh Allen
Who is Allen going to throw to? That’s the big question for the Bills moving forward.
While the Bills have tight ends Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox, running back James Cook and receivers in Curtis Samuel and Khalil Shakir, they do not have a true number one receiving option. Sure, there were rumors of tension between Allen and Diggs, but both players denied any truth to those. In addition, Diggs was so consistent for Allen, recording 1,000 receiving yards in all four years with the Wyoming product at the helm.
There’s still time for the Bills to draft or bring in a receiver, but they’ll need to truly hit to replace the overall production Diggs brought for four years.
Bills
With Diggs gone, the Bills have depleted their roster of many of the players that have helped them make the playoffs in five consecutive seasons. Along with Diggs, the Bills lost safety Jordan Poyer, cornerback Tre’Davious White, center Mitch Morse, and wide receiver Gabe Davis this offseason.
It certainly appears like the Bills are rebuilding their roster around Allen. However, the moves could prove costly. If they are unable to provide Allen with a strong receiving core, they could be in jeopardy of missing the playoffs for the first time since Allen was a rookie.
Trade Grades:
Texans: B+
With this trade, the Texans showed just how serious and intentional they are in building their team. Houston has a star in second-year quarterback Stroud, and are doing the right thing by taking action to build a roster around him to give the Texans the best chance to compete for a title.
In addition, the Texans did not have to give up much for Diggs, trading just a second-round pick. This means that even if the Diggs’ trade doesn’t benefit the team a lot, they didn’t sacrifice or lose much to bring him in.
This trade does not grade higher because Diggs was not super productive in the second half of 2023 and is 30 years old. If Diggs has a few tremendous seasons with the Texans and/or helps the team win a Super Bowl, this grade could easily rise to an A.
Bills: C
By trading Diggs, the Bills have lost their number one receiving threat and are lacking a go-to receiver at this point in the offseason. In addition, the Bills did not get much back for Diggs, only receiving a second-round pick. On top of all this, Buffalo has to take on $31 million in dead cap money because they traded Diggs before June 1.
This trade does not earn a lower grade because Diggs’ production did drop toward the end of his 2023 campaign. After recording at least 100 yards in five of his first six games of the season, Diggs failed to record 100 yards in a game the rest of the year.
In addition, Diggs is now 30. While this does not mean he won’t contribute for the Texans or still be a productive player, 30 is typically considered the age when receivers begin to fall from their peak.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.