Bills GM Brandon Beane insists Stefon Diggs trade doesn't signal rebuild

While the Buffalo Bills traded one of their top players on Wednesday, general manager Brandon Beane insists that the move didn't signal the onset of a rebuild.

Beane proclaimed that the Bills will still be "a damn good team" by the start of the 2024 season, even if their roster took a bit of a hit by trading Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans.

"These moves are never easy — very hard, not made overnight, anything like that — but any time you make a move like this, as I said, very difficult, you're doing it because you're trying to win," Beane told reporters. "Sometimes people may not see that. This is by no means the Bills giving up or trying to take a step back or anything like that. Everything we do, we're trying to win, and we're going to continue to do that."

Diggs has been one of the game's top receivers since the Bills acquired him from the Minnesota Vikings in 2020. He recorded at least 100 receptions and 1,000 receiving yards in all four seasons he was in Buffalo, forming one of the game's best quarterback-receiver tandems alongside Josh Allen.

Beane said as much about Allen and Diggs, calling them a "really good duo" that was "probably up there" with the best quarterback-receiver tandems in the league. However, Diggs became a more viable trade candidate over the last year for on- and off-field reasons. Prior to the 2023 season, Diggs was initially a no-show for Bills mandatory minicamp, which left Bills coach Sean McDermott "very concerned" about the receiver.

Diggs eventually showed up for minicamp and wasn't a problem for the team in the first half of the season. The 30-year-old ended the year with 107 receptions for 1,183 yards and eight touchdowns. However, his play took a notable dip in the second half of the season. He recorded just 37 receptions for 349 yards and a touchdown in the Bills' final eight regular-season games. In the postseason, Diggs had just three receptions for 21 yards in the Bills' Divisional Round loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Amid his struggles, rumors of Diggs' discontent with the situation in Buffalo emerged as his brother, Trevon, posted on social media during a game that he had to leave the Bills.

Beane sensed that the Texans' offer (a 2025 second-round pick) was the right package to move Diggs for.

"If you're going to move a player, there can be plenty of times," Beane said. "It's not the first time we've been called to ask would we move him, even prior to this year.

"I think with this move, as we're talking with Houston in this case the last couple days, the value seemed to make sense and the timing made sense for them and for us, and we worked on the deal and got it finalized today," Beane added.

As for Allen, Beane said he didn't speak with the franchise quarterback right after the trade was completed, but the quarterback was notified that such a move could happen.

"I did alert [Allen] that there had been some inquiries and it wasn't 100 percent off the table," Beane said. "Josh and I have a pretty regular conversation on things and I think it's important for me to make sure if I think something could happen to make sure he's not blindsided."

The move to trade Diggs leaves Allen with a relatively lackluster receiving corps. Gabe Davis, who was the Bills' second-leading receiver over the last two seasons, left the team in free agency to sign a deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars. They signed Curtis Samuel and Mack Hollins, but none of the receivers on their depth chart have recorded more than 900 receiving yards in a season.

Buffalo's decision to move Diggs also marks one of the many veteran players it has cut ties with this offseason after playing a role in helping it win four straight AFC East titles. Jordan Poyer, Tre'Davious White and Mitch Morse were among the team's cap casualties in March, while Leonard Floyd also left the team in free agency.

Beane recognized that losing a player of Diggs' talent is big, but has a belief the team will be stronger when the season starts.

"I mean, are we better today? Probably not," Beane said. "It's a work in progress, and we're going to continue to work on that. I just hope people know I'm competitive as hell, and I ain't giving in. We're going to work through this, continue to look and I'm confident in guys on the roster, and confident in the staff we have upstairs that helps me, that we'll continue to find pieces to add, and we'll be ready to roll when it comes time in September."