Allen spoke up about his former teammate.
Much has been said about former Buffalo Bills teammates Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs’ connection, right up until the day before Diggs was dealt, when the wide receiver essentially questioned Allen’s ability to succeed without him.
If there is/was a squabble between the two, Allen chose to take the high road on Thursday, when he publicly mentioned the Diggs trade for the first time. He went out of his way to compliment Diggs on the influence the Houston Texans’ new weapon had on his career during their four years together. Allen stated that the two exchanged text conversations after Diggs was transferred.
“Just thanking him for everything that he did for me,” Allen said of the text. “I’ll always have a spot in my heart for him and I’ll always love him like a brother and wish him nothing but the best.”
As you might expect, Allen was disappointed by Buffalo’s decision to part with the player who, in his words, “helped me become the quarterback that I am today.”
“It’s definitely hard to part ways with a guy that’s been very instrumental in our success here over the last four years,” Allen said in a statement. “Obviously, I wish we could keep everyone.
“You know, we made a lot of changes this offseason and lost a lot of veteran leadership, including Stef. I suppose that is the nature of the business. And now that we’re in Year 7, it’s just sort of the way things are. I do not get paid to make modifications to the team. I am paid to be the best quarterback possible and to lead the people on this squad.”
Allen will try to maintain his success without Diggs, who will now team up in Houston with reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud. Despite losing Diggs, Bills general manager Brandon Beane isn’t panicking. In fact, Beane stated this week that the Bills do not need to sign a new No. 1 wideout.
“What you need are guys in this offense that are smart, versatile, selfless and can make the plays that their skill set allows them to make,” Beane said in an interview with 13WHAM. “If there’s one that pops out either in free agency or the draft that makes sense for us or a really good No. 2, you know, we’ll do it, but I don’t think not having a No. 1 doesn’t mean we can’t have success on offense or as a team.”
While both players are going their separate ways, it’s important to acknowledge the tremendous success Allen and Diggs had as teammates. Last October, CBS Sports’ Nate Burleson ranked Allen and Diggs as the NFL’s second-best QB/WR combination, trailing only Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill.
The combo, who helped Buffalo win four consecutive AFC East division titles, will be remembered as the second-best QB/WR combination in Bills history, trailing only Hall of Famers Jim Kelly and Andre Reed.
