We’re officially at code orange as it relates to Stefon Diggs’ standing in Buffalo.
After an offseason for the star wide receiver in which he has not been in attendance for any of the team’s voluntary activities, with rumblings of discontent following him at every turn, Diggs was not present for the first day of the Bills’ mandatory minicamp on Monday.
And his head coach, Sean McDermott, was not thrilled.
“Stef is not here, everyone else is here at the current time,” McDermott said to reporters on Monday morning.
When asked if he was concerned, McDermott responded: “Very concerned.”
Diggs’ agent, Adisa Bakari, told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the receiver met with McDermott and Bills GM Brandon Beane the last two days and “will be there for the entirety of the minicamp,” only adding confusion to the situation.
Diggs, 29, is coming off his third straight Pro Bowl season with the Bills – but also his third straight season exiting the playoffs earlier than hoped.
Buffalo made it to the AFC Championship game in 2020, but lost by double digits to the Chiefs, who went on to lose to the Buccaneers, 31-9, in the Super Bowl.
In 2021, Buffalo appeared to have gotten their revenge on Kansas City in the Divisional Round, leading with 13 seconds left – but a miracle Patrick Mahomes comeback led to their second straight defeat at the hands of Kansas City.
Last year, Buffalo was blown out, 27-10, on their home field in the Divisional Round by the Bengals, who would lose to Kansas City in the AFC Championship game.
Diggs was seen in a heated argument with quarterback Josh Allen on the sideline of that game, and followed the scene up by leaving the locker room early after the defeat and sending out a number of pointed tweets.
“Want me to be okay with losing? Nah,” he said in one tweet, followed by: “Want me to be okay with our level of play when it’s not up to the standard? Nah.”
Diggs also tweeted “Comeeeeee anddddd rescue me…” in April, though he maintained that it was a song lyric and not a desire to be traded.
Allen, when asked about Diggs, maintained that his relationship with the receiver is “absolutely” still on solid ground, adding that “I love the guy” and “Stef gonna Stef.”
Still, with the veteran receiver missing the team’s first mandatory workout of the summer, there is clearly something to the rumors of a potential rift with the team.
Diggs signed a four-year, $96 million extension with the Bills last offseason, with his 2023 salary guaranteed as a roster bonus and his 2024 salary becoming guaranteed in March of next year.
However, there is no guaranteed money after that, and Buffalo has an out with a reasonable dead cap hit before 2025.
Diggs’ discontent is not believed to be contract-related, though often times players’ concerns can be eased by the team throwing some extra money their way.
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