Dave Naylor: The Stefon Diggs drama remains a topic of conversation in Buffalo

Orchard Park, NY –– The fact that Josh Allen unpromptedly brought up his relationship with former teammate Stefon Diggs during his weekly media release on Wednesday was evidence that the Buffalo Bills’ star quarterback had something to get off his chest wanted.

It had to do with interpreting his comments after Monday night’s 47-10 win over Jacksonville, when Allen was asked about having six different players catch touchdown passes. Allen said it’s “a fun and wonderful thing when you have a lot of people who don’t care about the statistics.”

As true as that may be with the Bills and their “everybody eats” mantra, Allen’s words were immediately taken as an attack on Diggs, who served as the Bills’ No. 1 target during his four years in Buffalo, getting more than 29 percent of them Allen’s throws last season.

When asked a similar question on Wednesday that might have elicited similar comments from Allen, the quarterback called out an audible signal and steered the conversation in a different direction.

“I know there’s a lot of people out there talking, but I’m not trying to put anyone down,” Allen said. “I loved everyone I played with and you don’t have to tear other people down to build each other up. And we’re just building each other up and that’s all we’re trying to do. “We’re trying to stick together as a team and everyone in this building has that feeling.

When asked to clarify his comments, he replied: “You know what I mean. You know what I mean…”

Allen was then asked if he was specifically referring to Diggs.

“Yes, and again, I love 14, I still do. But everyone wants to keep doing this thing,” Allen replied. “We’re so focused on what’s going on in our building and this is the only thing we can do.” I’m dealing with it right now.

It’s entirely possible that there is no personal bitterness between Allen and Diggs, and there was never any indication that Allen wanted him gone.

Allen is a player who respects the game and everyone in it. So it makes sense that he would be upset if Monday’s comments came to life with unintended meaning.

But no matter how hard Allen tries, that story won’t subside in the slightest before the Bills face the Houston Texans on October 6, where Diggs has taken on the role of second fiddle behind rising star Nico Collins.

In Diggs’ absence in Buffalo, speculation has been simmering about his relationship with Allen, fueled by the quarterback’s comments Monday night – whether intentional or not.

The Diggs drama came to a head after the Bills lost a playoff game 27-10 to Cincinnati in January 2023. Diggs had four catches for 35 yards on 10 targets in the loss and showed his frustration to Allen on the sidelines before reportedly making a hasty exit in the locker room after the game.

Talk of that act was still simmering when Diggs suddenly left the team for a day at OTA practice the following spring, which was followed by a moment of truth from head coach Sean McDermott, who said he was “very concerned” about Diggs’ absence.

The truth about the conflict between Diggs and McDermott was never revealed, although the star receiver denied it had anything to do with him demanding influence in the offensive game plan.

The next twist came in November, when the Bills fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and replaced him with quarterbacks coach Joe Brady, who had held that title with the Carolina Panthers and also led Joe Burrow’s offense during his championship season at LSU.

Almost overnight, the offense became less focused on Diggs.

The receiver’s performance slumped for the remainder of the season, and in the Bills’ two most important games, December 10 at Kansas City and in January when they hosted the Chiefs in the divisional playoffs, Diggs failed to gain 25 yards receiving gain weight.

Even worse was the drop of a bomb that Allen had perfectly placed in his hands in the second half of the playoff game. Instead of tapping his chest to say “my bad,” he held two fingers an inch apart as if to say, “I just missed.”

It was the last time Bills Mafia ever saw Diggs play for the home team. His departure came via a trade to Houston in exchange for a second-round pick in April.

Diggs’ relationship with Allen was a constant source of speculation during his time in Buffalo. But the drama between him and the Bills goes far beyond that.

If you decide to jettison your second-highest ranked player and take a massive dead money cap hit to do it, and then immediately adopt a team-first mantra and offensive philosophy that comes with a slogan of your own, people will some Draw conclusions.

Yes, when Everyone Eats was born, it was widely understood that this was something that could never have been attempted with Diggs.

And that’s the context in which Allen’s words were taken Monday night.

The fact that the offense is playing so well and the Bills are leading the NFL in scoring is an almost unimaginable joy for Bills Mafia.

Fans in Western New York place a lot of value on athletes who love their part of the country and not so much on those who are dissatisfied and want out.

Allen may not want to play a role in this drama. But the satisfaction in Buffalo at seeing the Diggs trade turn into addition by subtraction will only grow if the Bills continue to win.