Stefon Diggs revenge game? There was no pregame handshake with Bills QB Josh Allen
Stefon Diggs will line up against the team that traded him this offseason.
Diggs gets his first shot since his relationship with the Buffalo Bills soured and he was shipped off to the Houston Texans in April.
Buffalo took a $31.1 million dead cap hit in the deal, which is $3.3 million more than if they kept Diggs in 2024. It was the most dead money for a non-quarterback in one season in NFL history.
Buffalo plays at Houston at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Diggs formed one of the NFL's most lethal duos over the past four seasons. Diggs averaged 111.3 catches, 1,343 yards and 9.3 touchdowns per year during his tenure in Buffalo.
Diggs and his former teammates kept things simple and amicable throughout the week.
Did Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs have meet-up pregame?
No.
There was no pregame handshake between Allen and Diggs, who were known for their intricate handshake routines as teammates.
Did Josh Allen take a veiled shot at Diggs this year?
Buffalo has lived by the "everybody eats" slogan this year in relation to spreading the ball around to its pass catchers.
“It’s amazing when you’ve got guys who are just about the team, not the stats," Allen said after the Bills pounded the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3.
Allen clarified this week, saying his was praising his current teammates.
“People are trying to make this something it’s not,’’ Allen said. “I’m not here to take shots at anyone, least of all Stefon. I still have love for (Diggs). That hasn’t changed.
"I got a lot of love for him, I still do. The things he did for my career and the things he did in a Buffalo Bills uniform won't be forgotten anytime soon, especially from me."
Stefon Diggs' four-word response to the matchup against Bills
"Block out the noise," Diggs said.
“It’s easy to get a bad rap,” Diggs said. “Word travels fast, but when you get to a place and people get to know you, they kind of get to gauge you for their own personal and their interaction with you. And things usually turn the corner when I get somewhere else.
"There’s usually smiles and a lot of positive stuff. I just take it with a grain of salt. I got big shoulders."
Diggs said the Bills are a good team with guys who fly around on defense.
In the offseason Diggs said Allen was an "intricate piece in my career" and "I've got a lot of love for that boy."
Fit check in Houston. #HTownMade
📺: #BUFvsHOU on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/e4d26NLbRQ— NFL (@NFL) October 6, 2024
What Bills received in Stefon Diggs trade with Texans
Houston traded a 2025 second-round pick to the Buffalo.
The Bills traded Stefon Diggs, a 2024 sixth-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick to the Texans.
Houston restructured Diggs' contract, voiding for years on his deal and making Diggs an unrestricted free agent in 2025.
What Bills traded Vikings for Stefon Diggs in 2020
The Vikings sent Diggs and their 2020 seventh-round pick to the Bills in exchange for the Bills' 2020 first, fifth and sixth round picks and a 2021 fourth round pick.
Here's who the Vikings and Bills drafted with those picks:
Vikings
2020 first round: Justin Jefferson, WR
2020 fifth round: Traded to Chicago Bears for 2021 fourth round pick and selected CB Camryn Bynum
2020 seventh round: Traded to Ravens and took DE Kenny Willekes and 2021 fifth round pick TE Zach Davidson
2021 fourth round: Janarius Robinson
Bills
2021 fourth round pick: Dane Jackson, CB
Stefon Diggs stats with Vikings, Bills, Texans
Vikings: 5 seasons, 70 games, 365 receptions, 4,623 yards, 12.7 avg, 30 TD
Bills: 4 seasons, 66 games, 445 receptions, 5,372 yards, 12.1 avg., 37 TD
Texans: 1 season, 4 games, 25 receptions, 233 yards, 9.3 avg., 2 TD
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Stefon Diggs revenge game? No pregame handshake with Bills' Josh Allen