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The Buffalo Bills agreed to trade Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans on Wednesday in a deal that stunned the NFL world with the thick of the offseason in the rearview.
But former Bills linebacker Shawne Merriman told Fox News Digital he wasn’t surprised the Bills traded away the top wide receiver.
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Shawne Merriman #56 of the Buffalo Bills looks on from the sideline in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on September 11, 2011 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Jay Biggerstaff/TUSP/Getty Images)
“I wasn’t shocked. I wasn’t shocked at all,” the three-time Pro Bowler said, pointing to a post on X he made joking that Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti should have been waiting outside Diggs’ house to lure him to the AFC North team.
“I said that because there’s been a lot of turmoil in the offseason, a lot of back and forth, a lot of drama and I just felt like at some point in time it’s best for the player and the organization to part ways.
“Now, what I am confused on is what the Buffalo Bills got for Stefon Diggs. Stefon Diggs is still a top wide receiver in the league, and I say the Texans won this trade hands down. The Buffalo Bills didn’t get anywhere close to what they should have gotten for Stefon Diggs. So, that part didn’t make any sense at all.”
Stefon Diggs #14 of the Buffalo Bills warms up before the game against the New York Jets at Highmark Stadium on November 19, 2023 in Orchard Park, New York. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
The Bills have been extremely busy in the offseason but have mostly seen their players leave. Dawson Knox is the top receiver left on the offense after Gabe Davis left for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Trent Sherfield signed with the Minnesota Vikings.
The team is also returning Khalil Shakir and Justin Shorter, who is coming off an injury. Buffalo signed Curtis Samuel, K.J. Hamler and Mack Hollins in the offseason, but it won’t fill the hole left by Stefon Diggs.
“There’s two teams that really didn’t’ do much in the offseason — one being the (Dallas) Cowboys and the Buffalo Bills. The only difference with the Buffalo Bills is they got rid of a lot of guys. And I’ll say this, you got a 3 or 4-year window of getting that ring before changes happen… and we may be seeing the Buffalo Bills at the end of that window.
Josey Jewell #47 of the Denver Broncos attempts to tackle Stefon Diggs #14 of the Buffalo Bills during the second quarter at Highmark Stadium on November 13, 2023 in Orchard Park, New York. (Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)
“I don’t know if letting Stefon Diggs go and cutting a lot of the guys they had and not bringing in any new offseason acquisitions is the same as rebuilding but they’re right on the cusp.”
Merriman said he thought the Bills were a better team than the Kansas City Chiefs last year, and not seeing them making any moves to get over the hump was “disappointing.”
It also begs the question about whether Josh Allen’s status is firmly intact with Buffalo. Allen signed a six-year, $258 million contract extension before the start of the 2021 season.
What if a team like the New York Giants comes calling looking to make a trade for Allen?
“Nothing is off the table. And I don’t care what anybody say about anybody. If you put the right offer, the right opportunity on the table, every GM has to look at it,” Merriman told Fox News Digital. “And I don’t care if it’s your best player or your worst.
Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills and Stefon Diggs #14 of the Buffalo Bills talk prior to a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on November 26, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
“If I’m the Giants, and that’s a real opportunity, and the Buffalo Bills are even open to talking to me about it and not just saying no and hanging up the phone on me, I would offer them two first-round picks immediately and any future draft picks and maybe a player or two. I would throw the house if I was the Giants if that’s a possibility of happening.”
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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.
