The Buffalo Bills’ beginning to mandatory minicamp caught the eye of everybody as it was reported that Stefon Diggs did not show up. Star wideout Stefon Diggs did not report for Day 1 of camp, and head coach Sean McDermott told reporters that he’s “very concerned” about the situation.
Diggs’ agent, Adisa Bakari, subsequently addressed the situation by stating Diggs is in Buffalo as he took a physical and even met with McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane. Bakari said Diggs “will be there for the entirety of the minicamp.”
Following the Bills’ first minicamp practice, quarterback Josh Allen met with the media and everybody wanted to know his thoughts on his missing star wide receiver.
Transcribed via BuffaloRumblings:
Josh Allen: “How we doin’ guys?”
Reporter: “Alright Josh, you know what the storyline is. I’m not gonna ask you to speak for Stef — what can you tell us about what you know about that situation?”
Josh Allen: “Well, I know, internally, we’re workin’ on some things. Umm, not football related. Umm, but, you know Stef — he’s my guy. I’ve, I’ve… excuse my… I f’in’ love him. He’s a, he’s a brother of mine. Umm, you know this does not work, what we’re doing here, without him. Umm, you know we wish he was in here today and, umm, was out there on the field with us, and that’s not the case. But I’ve got his back no matter what. Umm, and again, I’ve got no doubts that we will figure out what’s goin’ on, and umm… I freakin’ love him. I can’t stress that enough. You know there’s things that I could do better, and umm… you know to help out with this process and, uh, try to get him back here and be the Buffalo Bill that he’s meant to be.”
Reporter: “You said “not football related.” Everyone saw what happened on the field in the loss to Cincinnati and what happened — him leaving the locker room early. Does this stem from any of that and has it evolved into something else? I mean, can you at least characterize (inaudible).”
Allen: Well, one — “I can’t speak for him on that. Umm, whether it does or doesn’t is besides the fact. Umm, but again, uh, I’m, I’m up here. I love him. Umm, I just want him to know I’ve got his back and I’m gonna do everything in my power to make sure that we can — we can get him back, ‘cause we are a much much better team with him on the field and, umm, in order to accomplish the goals that we want to accomplish we need him. Umm, and he’s an all-the-way-in dude. And once he’s all the way in, he’s gonna be all the way in, umm, and that’s why guys gravitate towards him. He’s a, he’s a fiery competitor, and, umm, at the end of the day he wants to win. This team wants to win, and umm, you know he, he’s — make no mistake of it — he’s a Buffalo Bills and, umm, you know, we’re gonna work it out.”
Reporter: “Is this a personality conflict between you and he, simply put?”
Allen: Me and him?
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Reporter: “Is it a thing between — is it a personality thing between you and him?”
Allen: “No, I don’t think so. I think that there’s some things that could’ve gone better last year, umm, and didn’t. Umm, I just, you know. I think we’re just as an organization maybe not communicating the right way, umm, with everything. So, again, just tryin’ to talk and listen at the same time and, umm, hear him out. And like I said, just try to move this forward as quickly and as respectfully as, you know, as possible. Umm, yeah.”
Reporter: “Do you anticipate that he’ll be here at all during this minicamp?”
Allen: “I would hope so. Again, I wanna, I wanna get back on the same page as him. And, again, he makes me a better quarterback and I feel like I make him a better receiver and, umm, you know we’ve done this for three years together and you know I — you know there’s a lot more out there for us to be had you know, in terms of umm, you know being ranked upon — you know, you talk about history and statistically all these different categories. But, at the end of the day we both want to win, umm, and you know I got no doubt in my mind that we can get back to that spot and, umm, that’s what we’re gonna do.”
Reporter: “When was the last time that you personally spoke with him and can you characterize that conversation in any way?
Allen: “Again, umm, I talked to him today and I’m sure we’re gonna have some more conversations moving forward and you know, as an organization, as QB-receiver, as an offensive coord — everything that goes, that goes in. Again, he — he’s such a special player umm that, you know, we don’t want this to be a distraction. He doesn’t want this to be a distraction. It is what it is, and the positive thing is that we’re not playin’ a game tomorrow. We got time. This is minicamp. Uhh, we got a lot of time to figure this, this out and umm… again I’m gonna do everything I can to, to, get him back in our locker room and vibin’ with the guys and umm… I got no doubt that we will.”
Reporter: “Prior to today, how much contact did you have with him throughout the offseason?”
Allen: “Uhh, I mean, I, I, I would consider it pretty regular for, umm, how we’ve been — maybe a, maybe a little bit less but — in terms of scheduling and stuff like that. He, he was all over the world and bein’ a fashion model and umm, you know. There’s things that, that go on. Uhh, you know I got to go to his charity event there in Maryland, so, umm. Again, you know, this, this is what it is right now. Umm, I’m not sweatin’ it. Umm, I love him and that’s my brother right there.”
Reporter: “Josh you said there’s things you could be, you could do better and you know you can talk to him and that kinda thing. What are those things that you can do better to kinda make this situation not be a situation?”
Allen: “Well I mean, I think, I think we’ll keep that internal right now. Umm, and I’ll leave it at that.”
Reporter: “Josh why is this, has this been hanging over for an extended period of time? Why is it seeming to come to a head now where these conversations are being had and hadn’t in the past?”
Allen: “Umm, I think just bein’ together in the same room with, with people. Umm, you know, he’s, he’s — like I said he’s a special player and he makes our team better and, umm, there’s like I said, there’s certain things we can do to help that out and figure out different ways to — whether it’s gettin’ him the ball or gettin’ him more involved in the game plan, umm. And again I, like I said — I know that you guys are gonna hype this up and make this a big story right now. We’re not playing a game tomorrow and this is minicamp. Umm, I know everybody in our locker room loves him. Umm, and I don’t think we’re gonna see this as anything different other than umm a guy that wants to win umm, and somebody that we need to, you know, incorporate a little bit better in what we’re doin’ here and I got not doubt that we will. And you know — at the, at the, at the moment though, like, we’re still practicin’, we still got guys comin’ out here and workin’ hard and, umm, he’s been workin’ hard on his own and, umm. Like I said, the positive thing is we’re not playin’ a game tomorrow.”
Reporter: “You used the word ‘we’ you’re talking about the organization — or is it just you and him? Or is there conversations and things that need to be worked out beyond your relationship with him?”
Allen: “I think a little bit of everything. Umm, you know he’s — he wants to win, and that, that’s what it boils down to. We wanna win. He wants to win. I wanna win. Umm, and once we get back on the same track and on the same page, umm, that’s what we’re gonna try to do.”
Reporter: “Josh does he wanna be here?”
Allen: “Yes.”
Reporter: “On the surface, it’s hard, maybe a bit hard to understand and he got a new contract last year since coming to Buffalo he’s second in the league in targets so I mean he’s a huge part of what you guys do offensively. So I think maybe making sense of his frustrations are maybe hard for a lot of people on the outside. Do his frustrations make sense to you, what you’ve been communicated? Do you understand them?”
Allen: “Again, whether it makes sense to anybody on the outside or not, umm, that’s how he feels and that’s how, umm, I mean, I mean, you can’t take that lightly. If someone feels a certain way you can’t just bubble over it. Uhh, you gotta hear what they’re saying and try to understand it and, umm, try to work on it and that’s what we’re doin’.”
Reporter follow-up: “So just to be clear, you mentioned at the start that you said it was non-football related. Umm, so, I guess can elaborate on that in any sense?”
Allen: “Umm, I think it has more to do than just football, is what I’m basically sayin’. There’s the football piece, umm, one, and then stuff that happens, umm, due to football. You know, umm, and I’ll just kinda keep it to that.”
Reporter: “Josh, so what do you think’ll happen from here? Do you think you’ll talk to him tonight maybe… tomorrow. Like, how does that work from here ‘til the rest of the week maybe?”
Allen: “Yeah, I’m not, I’m not quite sure how it’s all gonna pan out, umm. But again, we’re not in camp — we’re not in training camp, we’re not in a game week, umm. This, I know you guys love minicamp and it’s a chance to come out here and see some of the new players. This has no impact on what we’re gonna be and how we’re gonna be goin’ forward as a team, umm, and that’s why again — this is… I’d say… obviously, we want him here. I want him here. I wanna be throwin’ to him right now. I wanna get that timin’ down. Umm, but at the same time, there’s a lot of time left.”
Diggs is subject to fines for each practice he misses during this week’s mandatory camp.
It’s unclear exactly what Diggs’ situation entails and if there’s even a contractual conflict brewing between him and the Bills. He signed a four-year, $96 million extension with Buffalo during the 2022 offseason and he’ll make $70 million guaranteed over the life of that deal.
To say he would be a huge hole in their offense would be an understatement. Diggs ranks fourth in receiving yards and fifth in receiving touchdowns over the past three seasons.
His absence may have something to do with the lack of success in the postseason. Diggs has lost in the divisional round of the playoffs three times and the conference championship twice.
When the Bills lost to the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2023 AFC divisional round, 27-10, Diggs sent out a series of tweets that indicated his displeasure with the team’s inability to win in big games.
He was also seen frustrated with Bills quarterback Josh Allen during the Bengals game. Allen finished with only 264 passing yards, no touchdowns, and one interception.
Until he says so, we just have to speculate on what may be his issue right now.
If the Bills plan on being the top team in the AFC East, they cannot do it without Stefon Diggs disrupting opposing defenses with his incredible skills.