Stefon Diggs Wanted Bills to Re-Sign Him Before Agreeing to Patriots Deal

Buffalo, NY – March 26, 2025

Stefon Diggs made a late push for the Buffalo Bills to bring him back, insisting on a $25 million one-year deal to return before signing a 2-year, $30 million contract with the New England Patriots, sources told ESPN Wednesday. The six-time Pro Bowler, set to hit free agency after a one-year stint with the Houston Texans, angled for a Bills reunion right up until talks with GM Brandon Beane collapsed over cap constraints. With Buffalo stuck at $3.9 million in cap space per Spotrac, Diggs pivoted to the Patriots’ offer of $15 million per year—with $20 million guaranteed—pairing his elite skills with rookie QB Drake Maye. “I gave Buffalo first shot,” Diggs hinted on X, “but they couldn’t make it work.”

Diggs’ 2024 campaign with Houston showcased his talent before an ACL tear in Week 8 cut it short—47 catches, 496 yards, and 3 touchdowns in 8 games, averaging 10.6 yards per catch, per NFL.com. His Bills legacy from 2020-2023 remains unmatched—445 receptions, 5,372 yards, and 37 TDs, leading the NFL in catches and snagging a 2020 First-team All-Pro nod. Over a decade, he’s racked up 11,406 yards and 80 TDs, his crisp routes and big-play ability undimmed at 31 despite the injury. His 2023 form—1,183 yards, 8 TDs—proves he’s still a top WR when healthy, a prize Buffalo nearly reclaimed.

For the Bills, Diggs’ plea to return reignites a saga that ended with his 2024 trade to Houston for a second-round pick, only to see him land with an AFC East foe. Re-signing him could’ve turbocharged Josh Allen’s passing game—14th in yards per game (226.4) in 2024, per ESPN—but Beane’s cap bind forced a pass, leaving Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman as the top WRs. Bills Mafia vented on X: “Diggs begged to come back—Beane dropped the ball!” For the Patriots, nabbing Diggs transforms their offense, giving Maye a veteran WR1 to spark a rebuild while deepening Buffalo’s wounds. As Diggs trades Texans orange for Pats red, the Bills-Pats rivalry just got a whole lot spicier.