After another intriguing off-season departure from an NFL team, new Houston Texans wide receiver Stefon Diggs says the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings have one thing in common.
“None of those teams wanted to get rid of me,” he said in an interview with GQ Sports. “Things had to shake because I kind of wanted them to shake.”
The Bills, who acquired Diggs from the Vikings prior to the 2020 season after stories surfaced about his unhappiness, dealt the receiver to the Texans this off-season in a move clearing cap space following this season.
Diggs has had six consecutive 1,000-plus-yard seasons (including all four with Buffalo), but put up his lowest numbers as a Bill last season and saw his production slip after Joe Brady replaced Ken Dorsey as offensive co-ordinator midway through the season.
Diggs also couldn't haul in a deep pass from Josh Allen late in a tight loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional playoff round.
The 30-year-old Maryland product said he wasn't happy as the season played out.
“Last year, I was in the worst mental space I’ve been in since I’ve been in the league,” Diggs said. “If I'm not in a good space, obviously that's not the best for me. So that's when things had to start shaking out.”
Diggs acknowledged things changed for him individually when Brady replaced Dorsey.
“The games looked a lot different,” he said. “You can blame me. I don’t mind blaming me. I got big-ass shoulders. But pay attention, pay real close attention. Watch the game. Of course there’s plenty of plays I want back. But there’s a lot of plays that didn’t go my way. I need a lot of things to go right to get the ball . You can't roll out of bed and get 800 yards in the first eight games. Your best receiver’s doing that. You tell me about the last 10. What changed? Were there changes going on? I just pay attention to what really happened and not what people try to act like happened. Like, for the last 10 games, I forgot how to (expletive) play football?”
The Bills did go 6-1 after making the change at offensive co-ordinator, getting the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs after a 5-5 start.
In Houston, Diggs joins a loaded receiver's room teaming up with rising star quarterback C.J. Stroud.
"He’s one of those kids that can be the MVP, and I’m saying that wholeheartedly. I don’t gas," Diggs said.
The Texans host the Bills in a much-anticipated AFC showdown on Oct. 6.
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