There’s Another Wrinkle to the Stefon Diggs Trade
Josh Frey
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On Wednesday morning, the Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans agreed to a trade which sent WR Stefon Diggs to Houston.
The WR, who was selected in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft by Minnesota, will now team up with one of the up and coming groups of the NFL, but a new wrinkle has been thrown into the trade.
The Stefon Diggs Trade Has a New Wrinkle
On top of the trade, the final three years of Diggs’ recent contract extension have been removed, meaning he will enter free agency at the end of the 2024 season.
Adam Schefter of ESPN tweeted on Thursday, “Added incentive for Stefon Diggs: As part of the Buffalo-Houston trade, the Texans wiped out the final three years on Diggs’ contract, giving him the ability to become a free agent after this season, league sources tell ESPN. The Texans also took the $3.5 million guaranteed to Diggs next season and moved up into this season, giving him a raise and assuring him of $22.52 million in guaranteed money in 2024. But if Diggs plays the way he wants, and Houston hopes, he will hit the free-agent market next offseason with the ability to make it count. Houston now anticipates getting the best version of Stefon Diggs.”
As a result, Diggs’ original four-year contract which was worth $96 million has now shrunk down to a one-year contract worth a grand total of $43.1 million for his play this season.
Houston sent a 2025 second-round pick to the Bills in exchange for Diggs, which ironically, originally belonged to the Vikings. Fans will remember that Minnesota opted to trade that pick to Houston as part of a package to acquire the No. 23 overall pick, thus putting them in strong position to trade up for a top quarterback prospect.
This allowed Diggs to reunite with former Vikings teammates such as OLB Danielle Hunter, who signed a two-year contract with the Texans back in March worth $49 million, including $48 million in guarantees. In addition, he joins QB Case Keenum, who was his counterpart for the Minneapolis Miracle back during the 2017 season.
With Diggs’ contract going down to one season, the 30-year-old receiver will have one more chance to cash in on a large contract wherever he wants.
As a result, there is a chance that Diggs is on the move yet again at this time next offseason.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Over the Cap.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.