Mango

You likely get this, so I don’t mean to fire to at you. But the question provides a clean answer. If Diggs plays 2024 in Buffalo, he costs the Bills $27.8M in total. If Diggs is traded today, he costs Buffalo $31M total against the cap in 2024z The difference in having him vs. not is approximated $3M If traded today he saves them $1.6M this season as well.

I agree with you on return being an huge issue here. I would be willing to get creative with a team like Tampa or Indy. Mike Evans, a 2nd. Indy with Diggs for Pittman and some picks/players. But it’s tough to look at a contender because I think I would absolutely need a first and change. If they’re that close I need a higher draft pick than high 20’s in return. It looks like Devante Adams has basically eaten through his bonus/restructure. Now that’s an untradable contract. If the cap hits were a little bit closer in value I could be convinced for something close to straight up with Vegas. I think it’s important to sometimes pick apart AAV vs Cap Numbers. Take a look at WR cap hits in 2024. Diggs at $18.75M is the 15th for WR cap hits. That’s a really friendly value for a top 5 player. OBJ is getting $15M, Diggs at $19M is a steal by comparison. https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/rankings/2024/cap-hit/wide-receiver/ (For the people/person that keeps moving the goalposts with me on this. My preference is for everybody to get along. Diggs plays lights out in Buffalo; and we win the next 12 SB’s in a row. This is a thread on trade rumors. I’m just going down the rabbit hole on how it could or could not work out)

I’m struggling to wrap my head around what other teams would inherit from Diggs cap wise. I’m tempted to think he’s VERY cheap by Diggs standards. The way I understand it is that the Bills have to eat his bonus money, and with the restructure, only his salary follows him. Even for 2023, Diggs would save TB something like $12M on their cap by taking Diggs and moving Evans. Which leads my to believe that maybe Diggs might be worth a high pick to a rebuilding team in cap trouble. Diggs for Evans and a 2nd in 2024 and 2025 (so they can take a QB with their first pick next year). That would get us a rental for this year, and some ammo to grab a receiver high in 2024. Again, my preference is that it all works out. But it is navigable, albeit with some creativity and the right return. Unsure. I hope it doesn’t come to that. I want to keep Diggs. If he’s traded, I want an immediate replacement as part of the deal, with some reasonable draft capital. If we have to open door number three and Diggs holds out, it will absolutely destroy our return. I’d be really angry. I can do some mental gymnastics to get behind either scenario above. But this one would grind my gears.

Sorry, that comment isn’t totally directed at you. I’ve broken this down a few times. I get everybody doesn’t read every page. But there are a lot of people that are either not catching it or ignoring it, then continuing the conversation of how it’s not possible because of the $45M. Spotrac isn’t wrong. His total dead cap is spread over two years. Which does in fact equal $45M. But dead cap isn’t in addition to, it’s in replacement of his current contract/cap number, and it’s over two years, not a single $45M increase. So you have to look at that number compared to what it costs to keep him. Having Diggs on the roster the next two years costs the team about $42. Only a $3M difference and actually saves the team $1.6M this season. If you want the specific break down click on the red X to the right of any season. It will break down the cap hit based on trade and release. It’s not that Diggs can’t be moved. He can be. It’s we would want (need?) an immediate replacement, and that replacement would likely cost $15-20M, which would be difficult. But not really any more difficult than signing that player with Diggs on the roster either. (ie. OBJ/Hopkins) The Bills can do it. But would likely have to package another player to make room this year. My quick thought is Mike Evans and a high pick for Diggs. Then see what value we can get for Morse which should give us the cap space we need. Use the high pick and space next year to solve the Diggs problem in the offseason, while also having a one year rental. That’s just an idea for what’s possible. But I’d prefer to keep Diggs and have everybody get along while playing high level football.

There is no insane cap hit at least when compared to having him on/off the roster. It doesn’t exist. Diggs cap hit is $3M more off of the roster than he is on the roster. Diggs contract is prohibitive to the team no matter what they do with him. I’m going to keep saying this on every page as often as people keep mindlessly parroting this.

I’m not advocating trading Diggs. But this data isn’t fully correct and it needs to not be parroted if we are going to keep having this conversation. Keeping Diggs on the roster this year and next eats up approximately $42M in cap space. Trading Diggs today means that he eats up approximately $45M in cap space over the next two years. That is not $45M more against the cap than his current cost. It’s just $45M compared to $42M. A $3M difference is not what would hold anything back. The real issue would likely be getting enough value in return. We would need a quality no. 1 WR in return for at least a year. That WR would also likely eat an additional $15-20M. Thats the contract that would be prohibitive given our overall cap situation. Add in the fact that the Bills would probably also want a high draft pick in addition to the player. It’s a lot of compensation. https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/buffalo-bills/stefon-diggs-16872/

Could Pegula find somebody better? Sure. Would he? Ehhhh….. The Bills have been Super Bowl favorites for some time. It would be a bold move to risk that status with a new hire. We’ve seen Terry be bold with the Sabres. I guess maybe he is due to get a bold decision right, but sheesh, that’s terrifying.

I don’t think it is much if anything. Honestly, the last two times Diggs was required to be in the building his behavior put him in the national news. The team said they were concerned then went into full PR mode. Any logical person could surmise that the Bills would be open to trading Diggs for the right price. Whether or not they’re shopping him is another conversation.

I am frustrated with Diggs. I don’t like the idea of losing him. But also, this isn’t Madden, and if a guy is a problem the FO might not have much of a choice. The last two times he’s been required to put on a Bills jersey he’s been in the headlines for throwing tantrums. My intent was to correct a few posters on Diggs cap implications no tell them one we should or shouldn’t. But….if the team were to move on from Diggs. I’d probably knock on Tampa’s door for a one year rental for Mike Evans. And even in that situation I don’t love it.

We don’t lose $20M. We gain $1M this year, and it is about $3M to have him off the roster than it is to have him on. Of course $30M is a lot of cap space tied up in a guy not on the team. But $27M is also a lot for a guy who sounds like he might not want to be here. And the last two times he put on a jersey he caused a scene.

It’s not $40M. It’s $13M with a trade today, and that saves us about $1.5M. We would have to eat $31M next year in Dead cap. But that’s only $3M more than keeping him on the roster. It’s inconvenient, but possible. Diggs and Morse for Mike Evans and a 1. Trading Morse now frees up more space next year. https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/buffalo-bills/stefon-diggs-16872/

If this is about target; there really aren’t any/many more to go around. I don’t know how you go about fixing this in that scenario. He was 4/10 35 yards vs Cincinnati in the playoffs. All this over targets/no targets on the 10 play drive down by 14? Come on. I hope it works out, but otherwise at some point you have to just say deuces.

Reading the tea leafs, it seems as though at least part of the issue is that Stef would like to ask to leave, but cannot?

You are moving the goal posts. My OP that you were responding to was that being correct doesn't excuse bad behavior. You said I was obtuse and to not compare it to desk jobs with low expectations. I said I wasn't, I am pretty qualified to talk about high level team building and construction. Now you want me to explain Diggs beef. I fully stand by the fact that being "right" is rarely a good excuse for being a distraction in team sport. Especially on high level teams competing for world championships.

I am not being obtuse. I was specifically speaking to athletics. But thanks.... I am not referencing desk jockey's. I am talking about real life world championship sports; a topic I am well qualified to speak on.

Sorry, that whole thing wasn't directed at you. Mostly the "well if he got the ball more, he wouldn't act this way" crowd.

First Half of the Season: 60/83, 857 yards, 7 TD's (3 TD vs TEN) Second Half of the Season: 48/71, 572 yards, 4 TD's Extrapolating both to full seasons, one is a top 10 season the other is top 3, and that is without adjusting for a 17th game. The Bills went 7-1 and averaged 29.75 points per game during the stretch Diggs hated so much. One more win and 1.5 more ppg than the first 8 games. I keep hearing that he wanted, or needed the ball more, but honestly, Diggs was 1 or two total passes thrown in his general direction from having the same amount of attention from his QB. He was only down about 1.5 targets per game from the first 8 games to the last 8 games. Is the baseline 11 targets per game? He only average 10 for the first 8 weeks. 11 per game is a top 10 targeted season. Even then most of those top 10 seasons are great players like Calvin Johnson on bad offenses. History cannot be the realistic baseline. I always want to know what is the quantifiable solution? No just "more" or "Diggs has to be involved". But an actual metric. That goes for Diggs himself. How many more targets can we realistically push in his direction? Are 1-2 targets per game moving the needle from nearly 30 points per game?

I don't know why this is parroted as gospel all the time. It maybe works if you are competing for the Monsignor Martin League Championship, but it basically stops there. Diggs behavior is something teams trying to win a World Championship generally try and keep out of their locker room, not something they embrace. Eventually that sort of attitude starts to weigh heavier on the team than his physical gifts. It happens all the time across all sorts of professional and Olympic sports. Being correct isn't, and has never ever been, a viable excuse for being a bad teammate.

No it doesn't. The entire synopsis is that when Diggs doesn't get what he wants he causes a scene like a toddler. This isn't how good teammates behave. It just isn't. This^^^^ He is a WR, not a QB. If he wants to be consulted like a QB he should either 1. learn throw a football or 2. go to a team with a much worse QB situation where he can be the focal point of all things from the hiring of the OC to how the GM spends their money in FA.....

His is 12th in cap hit this year. 5th next year (ahead of Mahomes), and 2nd in 2025. Only Watson's stupid contract carries a bigger cap number. We have barely entered his big contract years. He will have to have an extension to lessen what will likely be very heavy cap hits in the next few seasons. Sometimes AAV is good, sometimes it doesn't tell the whole story. Sure Allen's total value may or may not be worth more, but what matters is the yearly cap number and it is about to be very high very soon. Josh has a fair deal, but we aren't getting a mid tier QB contract coming down the pike any time soon. https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/rankings/2025/cap-hit/quarterback/ https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/buffalo-bills/josh-allen-25102/cash-earnings/

I have all 22 and at no point did I think we ever needed Cole Beasley back.

Tomlin/Cowher also fit the bill. They struggled to get the job done with Ben.

McD is 6th longest tenured HC in the league. Of course he runs through a lot of assistants. Also Pete, BB, and the Walrus won’t be doing this forever. He could quickly find himself at number 3. Sean McVay is 7th which is crazy because he’s still one of the youngest coaches in the league.

There are a lot of questions around McD. The standards have changed since he was hired. He’s a good coach. But I’m not sure if he can get us to a SB parade. I sure hope he does. I have watched the Pegulas take 12 years to turn the Sabres around (hopefully). Because of that and the fact that I think more coaches are worse than McD than are better than him, replacing him is terrifying.

But he also didn’t participate in any 11 on 11. Because of new wrinkles in the offense? Didn’t Milano miss OTA’s? Did he sit out. I’m not sure the sky is falling. But something doesn’t smell right either. Diggs only costs us $4M off the roster rather than on the roster for 2024. Curious if part of the PR stuff is for a trade? Or if it’s just to try and smooth this all over. Everybody has been laying it on thick.