The Buffalo Bills are making a formidable addition to their receiving corps to help Josh Allen in 2020 and beyond: Stefon Diggs.
Buffalo acquired the soon-to-be sixth-year receiver for a 2020 first-round, fifth-round, and a sixth-round pick, in addition to a fourth-round selection in the 2021 NFL draft. Diggs had signed a five-year extension with the Minnesota Vikings during the 2018 off-season worth $72 million including $40,007,000 in guaranteed money.
Bills have acquired @stefondiggs in a trade from the Vikings. @NFLonFOX
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) March 17, 2020
Buffalo Bills Acquire Wide Receiver Stefon Diggs From Minnesota Vikings
2019 was the most prolific season of Diggs’ pro career from a yardage standpoint. He tallied a career-high 1,130 yards and added six touchdowns. And his big-play ability was significantly evident given that his 17.9 yards per catch were fourth-best in the NFL.
A year earlier, he had his best season as a pro when it came to finding the end zone. He registered nine touchdown catches which were tied with his teammate Adam Thielen and it was the tenth-best total in the league. He also had his first career season in which he exceeded the 1,000 receiving yard threshold as he finished the year with 1,021 yards.
In just five years, Diggs finishes his Vikings career as one of the franchise’s best receivers. He ranks eighth in team history in both receiving yardage (4,623) and receiving touchdowns (30). And his 68.4 percent catch rate ranks second-highest among Vikings receivers who caught a minimum of 300 passes for the club.
The move is certainly a significant augmentation to a Bills pass-catching corps that finished 26th in receiving yardage last season. He should form a lethal combination with John Brown who, like Diggs, accumulated over 1,000 yards receiving in 2019. Diggs’ vertical ability should only serve to make Allen and his cannon for an arm all the more dangerous downfield.
The combination of Tom Brady aging combined with the uncertainty regarding whether or not he re-signs with the New England Patriots means that the AFC East in 2020 will be as wide open as it’s been in years. This move by Brandon Beane and the Bills front office indicates that this team is committed to ending another drought. The Bills last won the division in 1995 and 2020 will be their best chance to do so in quite a while.
