Getty Stefon Diggs attends an event May 06, 2023 in Miami Beach.
The Buffalo Bills‘ mandatory minicamp got off to a rocky start on Tuesday, June 13, as the team’s No. 1 wide receiver, Stefon Diggs, left team headquarters before practice started.
While outsiders scramble to understand what’s going on between Diggs and the Bills organization, the three-time Pro Bowler shared a cryptic message on his Instagram Stories. He wrote, “I just be letting people cap. If them lies help you sleep better tell em big dawg.”
It’s unclear who the lying “big dawg” is that he’s referring to, but several fans and analysts believe it’s a shot at quarterback Josh Allen. When asked about the situation regarding Diggs, Allen told reporters, “Internally, we’re working on some things. Not football-related. Stef, he’s my guy. I f****** love him… This does not work, what we’re doing here, without him… I’ve got his back not matter what.
“There are some things that could have gone better last year and didn’t. I think, as an organization, maybe not communicating the right way with everything. Just trying to talk and listen at the same time, hear him out and just try to move this forward as quickly and respectfully as possible.”
Bleacher Report‘s Erin Walsh wrote, “Diggs appears to have taken issue with Allen’s comments regarding his absence, insinuating that he is lying about the situation in a cryptic post,” while Clutch Points‘ Tim Capurso believes it could also be head coach Sean McDermott.
“There’s a lot to unpack here,” Capurso wrote. “It’s not necessarily his teammate Allen. He could be speaking about… McDermott, who initially told the media that Diggs wasn’t present at minicamp, when it was later revealed that he was at the facility before he left at the start of practice.”
Stefon Diggs Called Sean McDermott’s Comment ‘Odd’
While McDermott told reporters that he was “very concerned” over Diggs’ absence, about an hour later, the receiver’s agent, Adisa Bakari told ESPN‘s Adam Schefter that “his client is in Buffalo, has been in Buffalo since yesterday morning, took his physical, met with the head coach and GM the past two days and the Pro-Bowl WR ‘will be there for the entirety of the minicamp.'”
However, Diggs left the facility before practice started and the reason why has yet to be made public. Bakari told Schefter that Diggs found what McDermott said during his press conference to be “a little odd” considering “the conversations happening behind the scenes” with the head coach. Bakari noted that it’s an “in-house situation that they are on the way to resolving” and that the issue is not contract related.
Diggs, who signed a $96 million extension with Buffalo last season, a deal that basically makes him impossible to trade, is also physically fine. FOX Sports AFC East reporter Henry McKenna tweeted on Tuesday, “Just got off the phone with Stefon Diggs’ trainer Myron Flowers. They had worked out Sunday. Diggs told Flowers he was headed to minicamp for Monday’s physical. His plan was to practice. So it’s a strange twist that he got there and did not practice.”
Stefon Diggs’ Frustration With Josh Allen Boiled Over During the Playoffs
Diggs was clearly unhappy with Allen and his team during their frustrating playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals and stormed out of the locker room after the game, refusing to do post-game interviews.
The following week, Diggs “liked” a tweet that sent subtle shade toward the Madden ’24 cover star.
Allen has said throughout voluntary organized team activities, during which Diggs was not present, that there’s nothing to worry about when it comes to the elite receiver and his commitment to the team, but there’s clearly an issue. While the 27-year-old quarterback said on Tuesday that he “doesn’t want this to be a distraction,” it’s a little late for that.
Diggs’ contract basically make him impossible to trade, so hopefully whatever is going on with the 29-year-old receiver, it’s figured out soon.
