Much has been made about former Buffalo Bills teammates Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs' relationship, right up until the day before Diggs was traded, when the wide receiver basically questioned on X whether Allen could be successful without him.
If there is/was any beef between the two, Allen chose to take the high road on Thursday, when he publicly discussed the Diggs trade for the first time. He went out of his way to praise Diggs and the impact the Houston Texans' new weapon had on his career during their four years as teammates. Allen said the two exchanged text messages after Diggs was traded.
"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 can imagine, Allen expressed disappointment in Buffalo's decision to part with the player who, in Allen's 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. "Obviously, I wish we can keep everybody.
"You know, we've made a lot of changes this offseason, lost a lot of veteran leadership, Stef being one of them. I guess that's the nature of the business. And going into Year 7 now, it's just kind of is what it is. I don't get paid to make changes on the team. I get paid to be the best quarterback that I can be and try to lead the guys on this team."
Allen will try to continue to have success without Diggs, who will now join forces in Houston with reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud. Despite losing Diggs, Bills general manager Brandon Beane isn't pushing the panic button. In fact, Beane said this week that the Bills do not need to go out and acquire 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, via 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 appropriate to recognize the immense level of success Allen and Diggs enjoyed together as teammates. Last October, CBS Sports' Nate Burleson tabbed Allen and Diggs as the second-best QB/WR duo in the NFL, behind only Miami's Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill.
The duo, who helped lead Buffalo to four straight AFC East division titles, will go down as the second-best QB/WR duo in Bills history, just behind Hall of Famers Jim Kelly and Andre Reed.
