Stefon Diggs was not present when the Buffalo Bills began their mandatory three-day minicamp on Tuesday, and head coach Sean McDermott did not downplay the star wide receiver’s absence.
McDermott told reporters that Diggs was the only player to not report to the team. He said he was “very concerned” that Diggs chose not to show up but did not go into further detail.
Sean McDermott's full comments on Stefon Diggs NOT being at #Bills mandatory minicamp:
"Very concerned."#BillsMafia @BuffaloPlus pic.twitter.com/RVC4SrJkTG
— Dan Fetes (@danfetes) June 13, 2023
Diggs did not attend any of Buffalo’s voluntary workouts, but he was not required to. McDermott and quarterback Josh Allen both said they were not concerned that Diggs chose to stay away. Things have obviously changed now that practice is mandatory.
The Diggs situation is unusual mainly because he signed a massive contract extension with the Bills last offseason. The deal added four years and $96 million onto Diggs’ contract and included $70 million in new guaranteed money. Diggs is still one of the five highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL, so it seems unlikely that he is skipping minicamp for contract-related reasons.
After the Bills lost to the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Divisional Round last season, Diggs made headlines for attempting to leave the stadium before McDermott even addressed the team. He seemed frustrated with Allen during the game and had words with his teammate on the sideline.
McDermott said he viewed Diggs’ behavior as a positive and that it showed how much the three-time Pro Bowl receiver cares about winning. Nearly five months have since past.
Diggs is obviously unhappy about something. Keep in mind that he ended up in Buffalo after forcing a trade from the Minnesota Vikings, so the situation will be one to monitor.
