Bills Want Stefon Diggs to Remain with Team 'For Years to Come,' Per GM Brandon Beane

With the price tag for elite wide receivers climbing higher than it ever has, the Buffalo Bills don't want to see Stefon Diggs go anywhere.

"I think the world of Stef, I think what he's brought our team has been great," general manager Brandon Beane said at the NFL owners meetings. "He's been great for Josh. He's been great for our offense, and his leadership has stepped up, and we want to see Stef in Buffalo for years to come."

Beane added that the team has maintained "an open dialogue" with Diggs and his representatives over a new contract.

The two-time Pro Bowler has two more years left on a contract (five years, $72 million) that looks like a bargain in the current market.

The Las Vegas Raiders made Davante Adams the highest-paid wideout ever with a five-year, $140 million deal. Within a week, Tyreek Hill got a four-year, $120 million extension from the Miami Dolphins immediately following his trade from the Kansas City Chiefs.

In channeling Nino Brown to describe the spending spree, Diggs may have been planting the seeds for a departure from the Bills:

Since arriving in Buffalo in 2020, the 28-year-old has caught 230 passes for 2,760 yards and 18 touchdowns. Per Stathead, only Adams, Justin Jefferson and Cooper Kupp have more receiving yards over that span.

For Diggs, being 21st in average salary among receivers won't cut it for much longer. And that presents the Bills with a dilemma.

Re-signing a franchise quarterback—even if it means resetting the market—is almost a necessity because the alternative is usually so bad. The supply of good quarterbacks far outpaces the demand.

That's not necessarily the case with wide receivers, and Diggs' former team is a prime example. The Minnesota Vikings traded him away and immediately found a replacement who's as good as him, if not better, in Jefferson.

Wideouts don't age as gracefully, either. Julio Jones was a Pro Bowler in 2019 and now finds himself without a team after the Tennessee Titans released him following an underwhelming 2021 season.

Diggs and Josh Allen have formed an aerial duo the Bills haven't seen since the days of Andre Reed and Jim Kelly. Keeping him on the roster for the foreseeable future is obviously the optimal outcome.

But The MMQB's Albert Breer reported the Chiefs were unwilling to meet Hill's demand when he wanted to surpass Adams' contract. Kansas City figured the financial savings and draft capital it got from trading Hill will be worth more than locking him down for the long term.

Sooner or later, Beane will have to juggle the same priorities.