Bills WR Stefon Diggs Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images

Top Potential NFL Trade Packages for Bills WR Stefon Diggs

Maurice Moton

Wide receiver Stefon Diggs participated in the Pro Bowl games this past weekend, and while in Orlando, Florida, he made comments that led to questions about his future with the Buffalo Bills.

When asked about his optimism about going forward in Buffalo, Diggs responded with uncertainty, via ESPN's Stephen Holder.

"I feel like I take it day by day. Obviously, there's a lot of changes going on, a lot of things going on. I can't really put the carriage before the horse, you know what I'm saying? But I got a great offseason in front of me to put a lot of work in and kind of build around what we got and what we're doing.

"I can't tell you what the future holds, but I'm still being me."

Will Diggs stay in Buffalo, or does he suit up elsewhere next season? Let's explore the latter scenario with five potential trade packages.

Keep in mind that the Bills can save $19 million if they move Diggs in a post-June 1 trade, per Over the Cap. The club could also acquire 2024 draft capital and take a wide receiver (in the early rounds) who will play for a fraction of Diggs' $27.9 million cap hit for this year.

To come up with the trade compensation in the five packages below, we considered recent blockbuster deals that involved wideouts Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams and A.J. Brown.

Carolina Panthers

Panthers QB Bryce Young David Jensen/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Buffalo Bills receive: EDGE Brian Burns, 2023 fifth-rounder (No. 140 overall)

Carolina Panthers receive: WR Stefon Diggs, 2023 fifth-rounder (No. 158 overall) and 2023 sixth-rounder (No. 197 overall)

In order for the Carolina Panthers to help rookie quarterback Bryce Young, they may have to trade a player to acquire Stefon Diggs. Remember, the Panthers dealt their 2024 first-round pick and wide receiver D.J. Moore to the Chicago Bears to move into the No. 1 draft spot for Young last year.

Carolina has $28.6 million in cap space, so new general manager Dan Morgan has to use his resources carefully in an offseason that's crucial for the team and Young's development.

Morgan can make a strong statement with a deal for Diggs, one that will gain his quarterback's trust that the team will do what it can to surround him with a stronger supporting cast.

Because Carolina doesn't have a 2024 first-round pick, it would have to offer up one of its best assets in Brian Burns, who's one of the league's top pass-rushers and still in his prime at 25 years old.

Since Burns has an expiring contract, the Panthers can franchise tag him and then strike a deal with the Buffalo Bills, who would likely have to sign him to an extension.

From Carolina's perspective, Diggs would instantly become the go-to receiver in a group that includes 33-year-old Adam Thielen, 2023 second-rounder Jonathan Mingo and Terrace Marshall Jr.

Carolina should try to accumulate more draft picks, swapping its fifth-rounder for a later selection in the same round and a sixth-rounder, which would bring the club's selection total to seven.

The Bills would essentially bring in Von Miller's replacement. Miller, who turns 35 years old in March and has one more year of guaranteed money on his deal, is the subject of domestic violence accusations.

The Panthers would probably try to avoid giving up Burns, but without a Day 1 pick and not much to offer up in terms of impact players indirectly tied to Young's growth, they may have to part ways with their star pass-rusher to execute the deal.

Chicago Bears

Bears WR DJ Moore Quinn Harris/Getty Images

Buffalo Bills receive: 2024 first-rounder (No. 9 overall pick or later in the round)

Chicago Bears receive: WR Stefon Diggs (after trading down in the first round)

The Chicago Bears can turn their 18th-ranked scoring offense from this past season into a top-10 unit across multiple passing categories within an offseason.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler talked to people who went to Mobile, Alabama, for the Senior Bowl, and most of them expect the Bears to keep the No. 1 overall pick and likely take quarterback Caleb Williams.

If Chicago takes a quarterback with the first pick, it can give that signal-caller one of the league's best wide receiver duos with Stefon Diggs and D.J. Moore on the perimeter.

Though Diggs saw a drop-off in his receiving numbers in the second half of the 2023 season, he still eclipsed 1,100 yards for a fifth consecutive year. Meanwhile, in Chicago, Moore posted career highs in catches (94), receiving yards (1,364) and touchdown receptions (eight).

With Diggs in the fold, Moore may see a dip in his production, though whoever starts at quarterback should feel good about his chance to succeed with that receiver tandem.

That being said, Chicago should make an attempt to trade down with a quarterback-needy team to acquire draft capital rather than give up a top-10 selection for a 30-year-old wideout in a straight-up deal. If not, the Bears can request a middle-round pick along with Diggs for an added resource to address their draft needs after free agency.

Houston Texans

Texans QB C.J. Stroud Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

Buffalo Bills receive: 2024 first-rounder (No. 23 overall pick), 2024 fourth-rounder (No. 123 overall pick)

Houston Texans receive: WR Stefon Diggs

In 2023, the Houston Texans exceeded expectations, making a massive leap from a basement-dwelling 3-13-1 team to a 10-7 squad that won the AFC South and a playoff game, thanks in large part to quarterback C.J. Stroud.

The Texans can reward Stroud with an established, four-time Pro Bowl wideout in Stefon Diggs, who led the league in receptions (127) and receiving yards (1,535) in an All-Pro 2020 campaign.

Stroud posted impressive passing numbers (4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns and five interceptions with a 63.9 percent completion rate) with Nico Collins and rookie third-rounder Tank Dell as his primary receivers.

Nonetheless, Stroud could throw for close to 5,000 yards and 30-plus touchdowns (if necessary) with Diggs' veteran savvy and reliable 68.8 percent catch rate.

Similar to the Philadelphia Eagles two years ago, Houston can acquire a bonafide No. 1 receiver in exchange for first- and middle-round draft picks. Keep in mind that Philadelphia acquired Brown in exchange for a first- and third-rounder a couple of months before his 25th birthday.

Diggs may cost a little less than Brown because of his age, but his resume still allows the Bills to command premium draft capital.

Indianapolis Colts

Colts QB Anthony Richardson Justin Casterline/Getty Images

Buffalo Bills receive: 2024 first-rounder (No. 15 overall pick) and fifth-rounder (No. 149 overall pick)

Indianapolis Colts receive: WR Stefon Diggs

Similar to the Houston Texans, the Indianapolis Colts made a big jump between 2022 and 2023. Head coach Shane Steichen helped turn a team that had a top-five draft pick into a 9-8 squad in contention for the AFC South title, though the Colts fell short of a playoff berth in a loss to the Texans.

Yet the Colts have a bright future with Steichen, who fielded a top-10 scoring offense without starting rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson for most of the season. In 17 games, including 13 starts, Gardner Minshew threw for 3,305 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Assuming Richardson starts Week 1 of the 2024 campaign, the Colts can welcome him back to action with a new lead wide receiver.

Wideout Michael Pittman Jr. has led Indianapolis in catches and receiving yards for each of the past three years, racking up 1,082-plus receiving yards in two of those campaigns, but he's yet to score more than six touchdowns in a single term.

Since 2021, Pittman has hauled in 14 touchdown passes. In the same time span, Diggs has caught 29 touchdown passes.

Yes, Diggs has played with a star quarterback in Josh Allen, but he's shown consistency, scoring at least eight touchdowns in six of the past seven seasons, going back to his 2017 campaign with the Minnesota Vikings who had quarterbacks Case Keenum and Sam Bradford under center.

The Colts' trade package would look similar to the A.J. Brown trade, with Indianapolis swapping a mid-first-round pick and a middle-round selection for a star receiver.

Don't be surprised if Steichen, an offensive-minded head coach, considers a move for Diggs.

New York Giants

Giants head coach Brian Daboll (left) and quarterback Daniel Jones (right) Rich Schultz/Getty Images

Buffalo Bills receive: DL Dexter Lawrence, 2024 second-rounder (No. 39 overall pick) and fifth-rounder (No. 139 overall pick)

New York Giants receive: WR Stefon Diggs, 2024 sixth-rounder (No. 197 overall pick)

The New York Giants have a few reasons or motives to acquire Stefon Diggs.

First and foremost, the Giants desperately need help in the passing game. None of their pass-catchers finished the 2023 campaign with more than 60 receptions or four receiving touchdowns. Wideout Darius Slayton led the team in receiving yards (770).

Secondly, New York may have whiffed on its trade with the Las Vegas Raiders for tight end Darren Waller, who caught 52 passes for 552 yards and a touchdown in his first year with the Giants. Waller is headed into his age-32 term, and he's missed 19 contests over the past three seasons because of various injuries.

Lastly, quarterback Daniel Jones will go into the second term of his four-year, $160 million contract that includes $81 million in guaranteed money.

Assuming the Giants continue to build around Jones with the costly investment in him, they must add a high-level pass-catcher.

Giants head coach Brian Daboll has familiarity with Diggs from his time as the Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator between 2018 and 2021. During Daboll's tenure as a play-caller with the Bills, Diggs earned his first and only All-Pro nod in 2020.

Instead of offering the No. 6 overall pick in the draft, the Giants can include two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, a 2024 second-rounder and swap Day 3 picks with the Bills to pull off the deal. Lawrence and defensive tackle Ed Oliver would command a lot of attention on the interior, which can unlock the Bills defensive ends in the pass-rush.

Remember, Diggs' age could knock down his trade value a notch below wideouts recently moved in blockbuster transactions.

With that said, to compete with the other teams that could offer a first-round pick or a high-end playmaker at a premium position (Brian Burns), the Giants may have to dip into their 2025 draft capital to entice the Bills. If so, general manager Joe Schoen can offer a 2025 third-rounder instead of a fifth-rounder in this year's draft.

Details on the NFL draft order and picks are provided by Tankathon.

Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.

   

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