Is the Diggs / Jefferson trade the best NFL trade in the last 20 years?

[Utah John]

4 minutes ago, Warcodered said:

Chargers-Saints with Brees and Rivers.

The Chargers had both Brees and Rivers, and had to pick one to keep.  They chose Rivers, a very good QB, and they let Brees, who was injured at the time and who turned out to be even better than Rivers, leave as a free agent.  I don't know why the Chargers didn't do something to get some kind of return for Brees, who had been their starter for a few years and had played really well in that period.  But, that wasn't a trade between the Saints and Chargers.

11 minutes ago, DabillsDaBillsDaBills said:

 

Chargers-Giants  Eli for Rivers+

No, the Chargers won that trade by a mile.  Except for a couple of seasons when Eli QB'd teams with great defenses, his career was pretty ordinary.  The Chargers turned the picks they got for Eli into multiple All-Pro players.  

[Big Turk]

23 minutes ago, Warcodered said:

Didn't the Bills and Chiefs basically trade picks that lead to Mahomes, Tre White, and Josh Allen?

 

Yes, essentially....more to it than that with the Bills moving up to 13 by trading Cordy Glenn to the Bengals, but the extra pick helped them get Tremaine Edmunds 

[mushypeaches]

The Bills have won 3 playoff games since they traded for Diggs

The Vikings have won zero

 

The Bills have a cost-controlled veteran WR for several years (yes, I know we gave him more money after the trade)

The Vikings have a guy who's cheap now, but is going to demand top WR money very soon

 

The Bills have Josh Allen

The Vikings have Kirk Cousins

 

I loved the trade then, and I love it even more now

[Utah John]

4 minutes ago, JoeF said:

I live in Saint Paul.  The Minneapolis Star Tribune did a great story on Jefferson last Sunday.  He is an amazing young man.  A worker on the level of Diggs.  The question is will the Vikings will keep him to a second contract.  I think they will. 

 

The local scuttlebutt was that they were worried about Diggs' durability due to his small size.

 

The Vikings game is going to be competitive.  I thought it would be a relatively easy lift but not now....

 

 

Jefferson will be completing his rookie contract at about the same time that Diggs starts to lose a step.  Interesting opportunity for McBeane in a few years.

[Gugny]

Getting a 3rd round pick for TuhROD Taylor will never stop being my favorite trade ever.

 

[FilthyBeast]

It's not a knock on Diggs but I don't understand the logic that it's a good trade for both teams.

 

Vikings won this big time because they got the better, younger and cheaper (not for long) player.

 

No rational, unbiased Bills fan can honestly believe Diggs is better or this trade was a win in terms of the bigger picture.

[Utah John]

Just now, Gugny said:

Getting a 3rd round pick for TuhROD Taylor will never stop being my favorite trade ever.

 

So the Bills picked the Browns pocket on that one, but the Browns also benefited from the Bills giving up too soon on Wyatt Teller.  Not sure if we can count this double theft as meeting the intent of the thread...

[Gugny]

1 minute ago, FilthyBeast said:

It's not a knock on Diggs but I don't understand the logic that it's a good trade for both teams.

 

Vikings won this big time because they got the better, younger and cheaper (not for long) player.

 

No rational, unbiased Bills fan can honestly believe Diggs is better or this trade was a win in terms of the bigger picture.

 

Would you just stop it?

[Southern_Bills]

I think it worked out excellent, as Good as Jefferson is I'd still rather have Diggs because of his relationship with Allen. Maybe Jefferson would have been just as good but maybe not, I think Diggs being a veteran helped Allen.

 

Definitely a win-win.

Edited September 12, 2022 by Southern_Bills
Spelling error

[Utah John]

Just now, FilthyBeast said:

It's not a knock on Diggs but I don't understand the logic that it's a good trade for both teams.

 

Vikings won this big time because they got the better, younger and cheaper (not for long) player.

 

No rational, unbiased Bills fan can honestly believe Diggs is better or this trade was a win in terms of the bigger picture.

First of all, being rational and unbiased is an oxymoron for Bills fans...

 

The point FilthyBeast is missing is the leadership that Diggs brought to the Bills, and how he worked along with Josh, really hard, to develop the chemistry that made them dangerous.  

 

Jefferson might be more valuable in the long run.  He's certainly cheaper now.  But what Diggs brought to the Bills as part of the big picture was far more than any rookie WR could have contributed.  

 

[Process]

4 minutes ago, FilthyBeast said:

It's not a knock on Diggs but I don't understand the logic that it's a good trade for both teams.

 

Vikings won this big time because they got the better, younger and cheaper (not for long) player.

 

No rational, unbiased Bills fan can honestly believe Diggs is better or this trade was a win in terms of the bigger picture.

The Bills didn't trade Diggs for Jefferson. 

 

I don't expect you to be able to grasp that. 

[C.Biscuit97]

It is the most perfect trade in nfl history. We need Diggs and his veteran leadership. Jefferson is making a case to be the best receiver in nfl. Win win for everyone.

 

Also in my keeper league, I traded Jefferson for kamara. 🤮 (I did have Diggs, waddle, and gave Davis but it is a terrible trade).

[Southern_Bills]

4 minutes ago, FilthyBeast said:

It's not a knock on Diggs but I don't understand the logic that it's a good trade for both teams.

 

Vikings won this big time because they got the better, younger and cheaper (not for long) player.

 

No rational, unbiased Bills fan can honestly believe Diggs is better or this trade was a win in terms of the bigger picture.

 

Jefferson is a better talent, anyone who says otherwise isn't being honest.

 

But Diggs came in as a veteran and helped Allen a ton, who says a rookie could do that? 

[FilthyBeast]

4 minutes ago, Utah John said:

First of all, being rational and unbiased is an oxymoron for Bills fans...

 

The point FilthyBeast is missing is the leadership that Diggs brought to the Bills, and how he worked along with Josh, really hard, to develop the chemistry that made them dangerous.  

 

Jefferson might be more valuable in the long run.  He's certainly cheaper now.  But what Diggs brought to the Bills as part of the big picture was far more than any rookie WR could have contributed.  

 

 

It's why I said it's not a knock on Diggs...love him and everything he's done here and hopefully will win a ring with this team.

 

But when I see what Jefferson has done already and what's he's about to this year with an offensive minded head coach it's crazy to think how much better the Bills would be had they just stayed put and took him.

 

Hindsight always 20/20 just think Jefferson is that much better.

[GunnerBill]

Yea the Bills needed someone to elevate Josh Allen right there and then. Jefferson is great. Athletically for sure more gifted than Stef. But Stef still as of right now today is a better route runner and it was exactly that sort of "always gets open" guy that the Bills needed for Josh. That level of vet savvy. 

 

It is also true to say that there were questions on Jefferson. His breakout was as a slot player in 2019. His 2018 tape as an outside receiver was pretty mixed. The Bills couldn't afford to risk picking a receiver there and then find out he was just a slot player. The reality is that he had just taken that bump in performance that comes with maturity in that intervening year and had LSU left him wide in 2019 then he probably would have been a dominating wideout for them too. 

 

But the Bills decision made perfect sense. It was a great move. Even if they missed out on an elite young receiver as a result.

[BADOLBILZ]

38 minutes ago, Warcodered said:

Didn't the Bills and Chiefs basically trade picks that lead to Mahomes, Tre White, and Josh Allen?

 

 

I know you were still a Broncos fan in 2017...........but none of the picks acquired in the Mahomes deal were used to acquire Josh Allen.

 

Mahomes(and a second round pick) ended up netting the Bills Tre White and Tremaine Edmunds.

 

 

34 minutes ago, Warcodered said:

Chargers-Saints with Brees and Rivers.

 

Rivers was already with SD for a season with Brees........Brees signed with Saints as a UFA

[london_bills]

52 minutes ago, Inigo Montoya said:

Before everyone breaks a finger writing that we didn't trade Diggs for Jefferson, the end result is exactly that.  I'm hard pressed to think of another trade that was more beneficial FOR BOTH SIDES of a trade.  There are plenty of trades where one side gets an incredible value and the other side gets hosed, but I think both the Bills and the Vikings got more than they could've hoped for in this trade.    Knowing what they know now, I think both teams would still make that trade today.

 

Week 1;

Jefferson - 9 catches - 184 yards - 2 TDs

Diggs -       8 catches - 122 yards -  1 TD

 

You have to give Justin Jefferson his due, he is amazing and may be a better pure receiver than Diggs is.    We'll never know if the Bills would have drafted Jefferson had they not traded their 1st rounder for Diggs.   I suspect that if Jefferson had been drafted by the Bills he would probably excel here too.  He's just an incredible talent.  But the Bills needed more than just a true WR1 when they traded for Diggs

 

Beane was looking for a WR1 with a veteran presence in the locker room to help this team grow.  He knew Allen needed someone who had been around and could help Allen take that next step.  With all the talk coming out of Minnesota about Diggs being a diva, I don't think the Bills could ask anything more of Diggs than what he has already given this team since his arrival.   I don't think this franchise is where it is today without Diggs in a Bills uniform.  

 

The Vikings are relevant because of Justin Jefferson and have an elite WR1 on a 1st round rookie contract and they can build around him for years.  The Bills have a veteran WR1 in Diggs who is elite in his own right and who has bought into "the process" making Allen and everyone else in that locker room better by being there.

 

Admittedly, I'm not a student of the game like many on this board are, but I can't think of another trade that did more for both sides than Diggs/Jefferson did.  

Even the moxy of Diggs was a genius move i pair with Allen.

[C.Biscuit97]

11 minutes ago, Southern_Bills said:

 

Jefferson is a better talent, anyone who says otherwise isn't being honest.

 

But Diggs came in as a veteran and helped Allen a ton, who says a rookie could do that? 

Yeah, I think that is the correct take. Jefferson got to play with that nerd cousins, who despite his flaws is a solid passer. He also didn’t exactly have to be a number 1 receiver.  If it was equal, I think most people would lean towards Jefferson.

 

but Diggs came in as our number 1 and helped elevate Allen to a new level. He’s become a leader and is maybe the best route runner in the nfl. This was such a perfect trade.

[Big Turk]

24 minutes ago, JoeF said:

I live in Saint Paul.  The Minneapolis Star Tribune did a great story on Jefferson last Sunday.  He is an amazing young man.  A worker on the level of Diggs.  The question is will the Vikings will keep him to a second contract.  I think they will. 

 

The local scuttlebutt was that they were worried about Diggs' durability due to his small size.

 

The Vikings game is going to be competitive.  I thought it would be a relatively easy lift but not now....

 

 

 

We visited Minneapolis a few weeks ago and stayed in Saint Paul not far from the downtown area...must say a VERY underrated city with a lot going on...also did not realize it was such a big city, coming in 16th in metro area just behind Seattle and ahead of San Diego. Mall of America was unreal...literally has an amusement park inside it. Sculpture park was cool and the Wabasha Street Caves were kinda bad ass...

 

Buffalo actually has a weird connection to Minneapolis as well...through the mid 1800s and into the early 1900s, Minneapolis was the flour milling capital of the world, however in 1930, that title was passed to Buffalo which was a title we held through the early 1990s. Learned that at the Mill Museum...

[MJS]

Drew Brees and Phillip Rivers, although Brees was not traded (but neither was Jefferson in the above example).

9 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

Rivers was already with SD for a season with Brees........Brees signed with Saints as a UFA

And Jefferson wasn't part of a trade either, so it's even.