Bills trade for Diggs - jw no discussions on a restructure

[mannc]

42 minutes ago, BruceVilanch said:

almost as much as it baffles me how every single player missed a block on that QB sweep. 

I will never understand that play. Never.  Have you ever heard any of the three “blockers” explain themselves?

50 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Unless they find a free agency solution I think it is nailed on they go pass rusher at #54.

I’m going to predict that they don’t stay at 54.

[YoloinOhio]

 

[BigBillsFan]

Ok the genius of this move makes me feel a MILLION times better than losing Hopkins. He's got 3 years left on his contract, proven commodity, won't eat as much cap, and will be an instant #1 WR.

 

I don't care we lost the picks. I would have given that up for a proven WR. He's our polished NFL ready to go Ruggs for the next 3 years that guaranteed to be a great starter.

Edited March 17, 2020 by BigBillsFan

[Putin]

21 minutes ago, Wayne Cubed said:

I wonder if Beane is thinking about trading back into rd1 or beginning of rd2 for an edge rusher. Realistically with all these draft picks, there just isn't room on the roster for them to make the team.

Who can we get in the second round or even if we move to the end of the 1st round ? 

[Brianmoorman4jesus]

For a few reasons, Diggs has always reminded me a bit of Stevie Johnson. Only a Stevie Johnson with consistent route running that will be transferable to QBs beyond just Fitz. I really like this a lot. There are no more excuses this year. Another RB and an edge rusher and this team is actually very good. It’s all just going to come down to wether or not Allen takes that next step.

[FluffHead]

Just now, Brianmoorman4jesus said:

For a few reasons, Diggs has always reminded me a bit of Stevie Johnson. Only a Stevie Johnson with consistent route running that will be transferable to QBs beyond just Fitz. I really like this a lot. There are no more excuses this year. Another RB and an edge rusher and this team is actually very good. It’s all just going to come down to wether or not Allen takes that next step.

To the eye he appears way faster than Stevie 

[Wayne Cubed]

4 minutes ago, Putin said:

Who can we get in the second round or even if we move to the end of the 1st round ? 

 

It's a fair question, I just know this class isn't very deep at Edge but there could be a run on WRs that see's an Edge rusher drop a bit. The value just might be there at the end of round 1/early round 2.

[inthebuff]

This from Bill Barnwell on ESPN

 

Minnesota Vikings get: 2020 first-, fifth- and sixth-round picks, 2021 fourth-round pick
Buffalo Bills get: WR Stefon Diggs, 2020 seventh-round pick

Vikings grade: B
Bills grade: B

Bills general manager Brandon Beane and coach Sean McDermott have rightfully been lauded for building a selfless, winning culture over the past three seasons. The two former Panthers executives deserve plenty of credit for what they've done, but those plaudits generally ignored that the Bills nearly stepped on the land mine of 2019 with their attempt to trade for Antonio Brown. After signing Josh Norman earlier this offseason, the Bills are testing their culture's ability to absorb talent by trading for a player who was live-tweeting his desire to leave the Vikings on Monday.

In terms of the on-field fit, there are few players who make more sense for the Bills than Diggs. When you consider his toughness between the numbers and his ability to make plays downfield, he should be an ideal No. 1 wideout for Josh Allen, who had the highest off-target percentage of any quarterback in football last season and didn't do much throwing downfield. The only receivers who averaged more yards per route run in 2019 than Diggs were Michael Thomas and rookie Titans phenom A.J. Brown.

 

The Bills did just fine with John Brown and Cole Beasley as their top two wideouts in 2019, but the acquisition of Diggs pushes those two into more accurate roles as the second and third receivers. Buffalo suddenly has one of the best wide receiver groups in the league. The Bills were the league's seventh-most run-heavy offense in 2019, but after adding Diggs, I would expect them to throw the ball more frequently in 2020. With a solid offensive line and deep positional groups at wide receiver and tight end, Allen has everything he could ask for.

Diggs' contract is also team-friendly. The Bills will be acquiring the final four years of his extension, which have a total of $47.5 million remaining, none of which is presently guaranteed. I suspect he will start looking for a new deal as early as next offseason, especially if DeAndre Hopkins signs an extension with the Cardinals three years away from the end of his deal. The Bills should be able to get Diggs to play out the next two seasons for $23.5 million combined before looking at a new deal.

 

At the same time, I wonder whether the Bills and Diggs will turn out to be an amicable relationship. He was publicly frustrated by Kirk Cousins and the Vikings organization as a whole at different times over the past two seasons. Rumors of a possible Diggs trade have been circulating for more than a year, at times inspired by his missing practice. Diggs isn't Antonio Brown, and plenty of teams have taken on mercurial wideouts and reached new heights after taking that risk, but this move seems at odds with what the Bills have built. This is a worthwhile, logical risk for the Bills, but if they struggle on offense, Diggs is going to take the blame.

 

If the Vikings were going to move on from Diggs, this was probably the time to do so. This trade frees up $5.5 million in cap room for them to try to work on a long-term deal for safety Anthony Harris, who was unexpectedly retained with the franchise tag Monday morning. The Vikings now have two first-round picks (Nos. 22 and 25) and two third-round picks in what appears to be a deep class of wide receivers. They aren't going to pick somebody who will immediately be better than Diggs, but they are well-positioned to use one of their first-rounders or a second-rounder on a player who can step in as the No. 2 option behind Adam Thielen.

 

Furthermore, with the Vikings going heavy on two-tight-end sets and re-signing fullback C.J. Ham to an extension, I expect they'll go with more two-tight-end personnel in 2020 and use a second wideout less frequently than they would have with Diggs in the fold. I would argue that having Diggs on the field is better than having Ham or Irv Smith Jr., but if Mike Zimmer wants the Vikings to be a ball-control, run-first offense, it doesn't make a lot of sense for them team to pay two wideouts top-15 money. Given the public and private frustration Diggs expressed over the past two years, a fresh start probably made sense for both sides.

 

I can see the logic in this trade for both teams. The real losers of this trade, honestly, are the Texans. Diggs is an excellent player, and DeAndre Hopkins is a year older than his positional rival, but most onlookers would agree that Hopkins is a better player on the field and a less disruptive player off it. The Bills just sent the Vikings four picks, including a first-rounder, to acquire Diggs. Those picks are worth 21.9 points on Chase Stuart's draft value chart, which is something close to the eighth overall pick in a typical draft.

 

Meanwhile, the Texans netted a second-round pick from the Cardinals and swapped fourth-round selections. Even if we don't consider any time value for the Cardinals getting their fourth-round pick a year early, Houston came away with a pick in the middle of the second round for a better player and absorbed a player in David Johnson whose contract was $10 million or so underwater as part of the deal. If you thought the Odell Beckham Jr. deal was an outlier and the Texans would get a more realistic return for Hopkins, this trade proved otherwise.

[vincec]

5 hours ago, ColeB said:

I don’t get it.  Diggs is very similar to Brown.  In one of the best drafts for WRs, they trade their 1st round pick for a copy of what they had?  
 

I suppose signing Devin Funchess to a huge contract is next, to get the big WR.

I think fast/quick WR who can get good separation are exactly the types of players that Allen needs. Big WRs with "large catch radii" like Funchess are a better fit for more accurate QBs who can really place the ball where the WR needs it, IMO.

[TwistofFate]

Expensive price to pay, a total of 4 draft picks, including a 1st. 

 

Diggs is a versatile, proven commodity with a favorable contract and in his prime. 

 

Its clear Buffalo is looking to make the jump this season and now not only has the best Wr corps in the AFC East, but in the NFL. 

 

Weapons seem to now be everywhere on offense with big play capabilities at every level. 

 

The only question mark I have is Josh Allen and if he's capable of making the step necessary to actually utilize what'sbeen bestowed upon him. 

[Matt_In_NH]

37 minutes ago, JM57 said:

Bills had three 5ths and two 6ths from the Teller and Bodine trades. Let's just say Beane moved the Cleveland picks to simplify it.

 

Buffalo sends #22, the Wyatt Teller picks (CLE's 2020 5th and 6th) and a 2021 4th

 

Buffalo gets Diggs and a 2020 7th

 

Projection guys think the Lawson signing could net Buffalo a 2021 4th compensatory pick also

 
It does. Not really matter what picks they had.  Each pick has value based on its slot.   You can’t just give them away because you acquired them by  trade.   I am not a gm.  But comparing the Hopkins trade to this one it seems like the bills were desperate.   Digs is 6 feet tall.   I was hoping for 6-3 or taller.  I’m a bills fan and hope this works out but my opinion is the compensation was too much.  

[Gordio]

Haven't read this whole post, a lot to give up, but the bills just improved their offense greatly.  Locker room issues, the one analyst on NFL Network just said "I never seen a locker room as tightly knit & a feeling of togetherness & family like the Bills locker room, McDermott really has created a great atmosphere."  

 

Got to pay to play boys.  No one likes giving up a 1st rounder, I think part of that is that it makes draft so less exciting but like a few posters said, your not getting a kid in the draft at 22 that is the caliber of Diggs.  

[Bill from NYC]

40 minutes ago, Protocal69 said:

Maybe we need to get a new MOD. This topic was closed. Please explain why

Please show me in these 32 pages the video I linked in this post PLEASE!

I'm not sure.....did you fail to follow protocol?

[nucci]

4 minutes ago, TwistofFate said:

Expensive price to pay, a total of 4 draft picks, including a 1st. 

 

Diggs is a versatile, proven commodity with a favorable contract and in his prime. 

 

Its clear Buffalo is looking to make the jump this season and now not only has the best Wr corps in the AFC East, but in the NFL. 

 

Weapons seem to now be everywhere on offense with big play capabilities at every level. 

 

The only question mark I have is Josh Allen and if he's capable of making the step necessary to actually utilize what'sbeen bestowed upon him. 

5th and 6th round picks are not a big cost...a 1st is expected and 4th is also not huge...

[BigBillsFan]

3 minutes ago, TwistofFate said:

Expensive price to pay, a total of 4 draft picks, including a 1st. 

 

Diggs is a versatile, proven commodity with a favorable contract and in his prime. 

 

Its clear Buffalo is looking to make the jump this season and now not only has the best Wr corps in the AFC East, but in the NFL. 

 

Weapons seem to now be everywhere on offense with big play capabilities at every level. 

 

The only question mark I have is Josh Allen and if he's capable of making the step necessary to actually utilize what'sbeen bestowed upon him. 

 

I agree with everything but the price of Diggs. If that's what it costs to have the "best WR" corps in the AFC East that's the cost.

 

There is no free lunch and we now can see if Allen is starter material. He has a rough schedule but with this lineup we're ready to see him make a monster jump or not. If he does we have a great team for 15 years. That's always worth celebrating. Damn this is exciting...

[ALF]

 

[OldTimer1960]

8 hours ago, Bangarang said:

I hate how much we gave up. Literally hate it.

 

8 hours ago, Niagara Dude said:

I agree even a second & 4th

Admittedly, it *seems* like a lot to give up, but the Bills' 1st, 5th, 6th and 2021 4th (discounted by a round for Vikes waiting a year for it) would *maybe* have been enough to get them pick 19 in this year's draft.  The 5th, 6th and next year's 4th don't have a lot of trade value.

[freddyjj]

8 hours ago, Cal said:

Why can't we ever get a big good receiver like Calvin Johnson, Julio Jones, Michael Thomas? I don't think we ever had one in our history 

Eric Moulds says hello

[SoTier]

7 hours ago, Tesla03 said:

 

never understood fans being so uptight over draft picks beyond the 4th round. 

 

its like fans would rather have some bum CB that won't even be on the roster in 3 years over a #1WR 

 

I think that many of the critics were fantasizing about Beane trading up to get CeeDee Lamb or some other supposed "can't miss" prospect.  Now they'll have a boring Day 1.     

 

7 hours ago, Billl said:

Zero chance Houston turned down that offer in favor of what they got from Arizona.  It’s twice the price.

 

Even Bill O'Brien isn't so stupid to trade Hopkins to another AFC team, especially one that not only made the playoffs but gave the Texans all they could handle despite clearly needing a WR1.

 

7 hours ago, BillsCuse said:

Good WR's > tall ones

 

James Hardy comes to mind.

 

7 hours ago, Rc2catch said:

O’Brien is literally the laughing stock of the league tod

 

I thought that acquiring Tunsil was a good move and that maybe sending Clowney to the Seahags was a necessary one.  There's absolutely no way to spin the Hopkins trade, however, to make it anything but one of the biggest faux pas in Houston's history -- and maybe in league history.  It may become legendary.

 

6 hours ago, Just Joshin' said:

This is about risk management. A WR at 22 has a 50/50 chance to be a quality starter in 2-3 years.  Diggs will be a 2020 star. 

 

I think some fans are not being realistic about the kind of WR the Bills could get at #22, about how much more they would have to give up to move up in the first round to get one of the top three WRs, and most of all, how important it is to give Allen better weapons this season rather than waiting for next year or the year after for a rookie to develop.

 

With Brady very possibly leaving NE, the opportunity for the Bills to take over the AFCE is now -- 2020 -- and obviously Beane recognizes that and has acted accordingly.

[TwistofFate]

7 minutes ago, OldTimer1960 said:

 

Admittedly, it *seems* like a lot to give up, but the Bills' 1st, 5th, 6th and 2021 4th (discounted by a round for Vikes waiting a year for it) would *maybe* have been enough to get them pick 19 in this year's draft.  The 5th, 6th and next year's 4th don't have a lot of trade value.

8th overall is the value.   Someone in this thread posted it. 

 

Inthebuff posted it on page 33.

Edited March 17, 2020 by TwistofFate

[Mat68]

11 minutes ago, mattynh said:

 
It does. Not really matter what picks they had.  Each pick has value based on its slot.   You can’t just give them away because you acquired them by  trade.   I am not a gm.  But comparing the Hopkins trade to this one it seems like the bills were desperate.   Digs is 6 feet tall.   I was hoping for 6-3 or taller.  I’m a bills fan and hope this works out but my opinion is the compensation was too much.  

Buffalo still has 7 picks in the 2020 draft.  By getting something for 2 players who were getting cut the Bills could afford to pay a precieved premium.  The 4th is 2021 and by then Id suspect moves have been made and that pick is replaced.

[YoloinOhio]

If he had gone to the Pats there would be 137 posts about “wish the bills had balls like belichick”

 

 

Edited March 17, 2020 by YoloinOhio

[Beast]

6 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

If he had gone to the Pats there would be 137 posts about “wish they bills had balls like belichick”

 

 

 

100%

[1ManRaid]

9 minutes ago, TwistofFate said:

8th overall is the value.   Someone in this thread posted it. 

Someone in this thread is laughably wrong.  Two 5ths and a 6th doesn't bump you up 14 spots in the 1st round.  That's basically 5 spots each for 5th round picks and 4 spots for a 6th.  Just not realistic.

 

*edit*

Wouldn't you still give the 8th pick for an established #1 in their prime with years left on their contract like Diggs, for your Super Bowl run?

Edited March 17, 2020 by 1ManRaid

[SectionC3]

4 minutes ago, Mat68 said:

Buffalo still has 7 picks in the 2020 draft.  By getting something for 2 players who were getting cut the Bills could afford to pay a precieved premium.  The 4th is 2021 and by then Id suspect moves have been made and that pick is replaced.

 

Solid point about the wise use of capital.  We basically traded our first this year (which likely would have been invested in a receive who would have taken some time to reach the level of Diggs's anticipated production), one year of Bodine (who would have been cut anyway in August 2019) and one year of Teller (who also would have been cut in August 2019) for Diggs.  

 

Maybe the fourth next year gets replaced with a comp pick if Phillips leaves on a big deal (not sure how the formula works).  Either way, a 1 + the equivalent of a 5 in 2020 capital for a bona fide #1 with four years of very reasonable term (at least in football dollars) who happens to play X and can beat man coverage ... capital well spent.  Great job by Beane not only yesterday, but last August in getting something for guys who he was going to cut and using that value to sweeten the pot to get a #1 receiver.  

[Watkins101]

8 minutes ago, TwistofFate said:

8th overall is the value.   Someone in this thread posted it. 

 

Inthebuff posted it on page 33.

That is just flat out wrong though. No one, and I mean NO ONE would take those picks for 8. To go from 22 to 8 it would probably take about 22, next year's first and a third, and that still might not be enough. Moving from 12 to 7 to get Josh Allen costed an additional 12 and 2 seconds.

[r00tabaga]

11 minutes ago, TwistofFate said:

8th overall is the value.   Someone in this thread posted it. 

 

Inthebuff posted it on page 33.

18th

[Don Otreply]

8 hours ago, kbarrettb said:

Deepest wr draft and you trade a ton of picks for a number 2. Sound move. This screams ownership wanting a “big” name. You build through the draft. 

You keep on saying this, maybe if say it enough times even you might believe it. 
 

Go Bills!!!

[OldTimer1960]

I saw that and disagree strongly with that assertion.  Do you think that if the Bills had called Arizona and offered their 22nd pick 5th and 6th rounders and a 4th next year for pick 8 that they would have taken it?  They would have laughed and hung up.

 

i know that there are different versions of the draft pick value table floating around, but most are fairly similar.  Here is a link to one that I based my analysis on: https://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/draft_trade_value.htm

 

Confirm my calculation, but don't forget to discount the 2021 4th by a round (equal to about a mid5th his year) as is typically done.

[YoloinOhio]

12 minutes ago, TwistofFate said:

8th overall is the value.   Someone in this thread posted it. 

 

Inthebuff posted it on page 33.

I think they actually said 18th.

Edited March 17, 2020 by YoloinOhio

[AllenToBrown2020]

8 hours ago, Sherlock Holmes said:

 

There goes my Thielen and Kupp dreams... Still think Kupp would've been the better choice for that price. But hey, I won't complain.... much!

 

Thielen, Kupp, and McCaffrey on your thumbnail? I wonder if you’re white.

[Don Otreply]

8 hours ago, NoSaint said:

not sure you can call that a fact 

Whatever ya gotta tell yourself...

 

Go Bills!!!

[DFT]

Just now, OldTimer1960 said:

I saw that and disagree strongly with that assertion.  Do you think that if the Bills had called Arizona and offered their 22nd pick 5th and 6th rounders and a 4th next year for pick 8 that they would have taken it?  They would have laughed and hung up.

 

i know that there are different versions of the draft pick value table floating around, but most are fairly similar.  Here is a link to one that I based my analysis on: https://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/draft_trade_value.htm

 

Confirm my calculation, but don't forget to discount the 2021 4th by a round (equal to about a mid5th his year) as is typically done.

Agreed!  There had to be a discussion involved about their ability to move up for JJ or Lamb (possibly Ruggs), before this trade was made.  The Bills probably realized that it wasn’t worth it to give up more than they did for Diggs.  I completely agree.  No team has spent more scouting time on WR than Buffalo, so I trust these guys to make that decision.  They weren’t able to get the same value with a trade that they got with Diggs (assumingely).  This was the right move.

[PromoTheRobot]

My Pats season ticket holder boss texts me at 11:30 last night to ask me about the trade. He's facing the prospect of the Bills owning the division going forward. Pats made a couple minor signings and they are maxed out cap wise. (Part of that is Tom Brady dead money.) I told him the Bills still had $60MM free after the Diggs trade. 

[Troll Toll]

Trying to draft a receiver in the first would have been frustrating. This year the other teams basically KNEW we would be going receiver in Round 1. We would have seen other teams trading to get in front of us. This was a solid move, though I was hoping for a more physically dominating player.

[1ManRaid]

5 minutes ago, SectionC3 said:

 

Solid point about the wise use of capital.  We basically traded our first this year (which likely would have been invested in a receive who would have taken some time to reach the level of Diggs's anticipated production), one year of Bodine (who would have been cut anyway in August 2019) and one year of Teller (who also would have been cut in August 2019) for Diggs.  

 

Maybe the fourth next year gets replaced with a comp pick if Phillips leaves on a big deal (not sure how the formula works).  Either way, a 1 + the equivalent of a 5 in 2020 capital for a bona fide #1 with four years of very reasonable term (at least in football dollars) who happens to play X and can beat man coverage ... capital well spent.  Great job by Beane not only yesterday, but last August in getting something for guys who he was going to cut and using that value to sweeten the pot to get a #1 receiver.  

I hadn't even realized the 5th and 6th were really free money we got for nothing.  We basically got a good #1 WR in their prime for the 22nd pick and a 5th.  Beane really is a wizard.

[BillsFanSD]

I like this trade a lot.  Despite living in Viking country, I admittedly haven't watched a lot of their games, so I'm relying on Beane evaluating Diggs accurately.  But a late 1st and an assortment of Day Three picks who probably weren't making our roster anyway is a very reasonable price to pay for a #1 WR, especially considering that he should immediately make Brown and Beasley and Knox better too.

 

Glad the team is in "win now" mode.  Let's get it done.

[Golden*Wheels]

Well...what a thing to wake up to. I think it sure says a lot about how the staff feels about next year.

[GunnerBill]

54 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

Eh.

 

Would still like to see them go after offense early. If they could get Jefferson or Aiyuk in the 2nd they'd be loaded at the position. 

 

Their defensive end position is a major worry to me. It is the weakest position on the roster as we stand. 

[Beast]

When Diggs takes his first 10 yard slant for a 70 yard TD fans will forget about what the compensation was to get him.