For four seasons, Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs formed a dominant duo for the Buffalo Bills. After the receiver’s trade, his former pass-rusher finds emotional words

Following the departure of wide receiver Stefon Diggs, his former quarterback Josh Allen had emotional words for him, emphasizing the pass receiver’s impact.

He couldn’t thank Diggs enough for “how hard he worked and what he taught me over the years,” Allen said Thursday. Diggs has “meant a lot” to him, the quarterback emphasized.

Diggs was traded from the Minnesota Vikings to Buffalo in 2020. In his very first season with the Bills, he set a career best with 1,535 yards in the regular season, which still stands today.

In the years that followed, Diggs continued to be Allen’s preferred option and an indispensable part of the offense that made Buffalo one of the best teams in the NFL. In early April, however, the Bills sent the now 30-year-old to the Houston Texans in a trade.

Josh Allen will “always be grateful” to Stefon Diggs

“It’s definitely hard to part ways with a guy who has been instrumental in our success here the last four years,” Allen said wistfully, but also knows that such decisions are part of the business in the NFL.

“I certainly hope we can keep everyone. We’ve made a lot of changes this season and lost a lot of experienced leaders, including Stef. I think that’s the nature of the business,” said Allen, who enters his seventh season with the Bills in September.

Still, he’ll remember Diggs “as the receiver who helped me become the quarterback I am today. I’ll always be grateful to him for that,” he clarified.

In the preseason, there had been reports that Diggs had become increasingly dissatisfied with his role. The resulting bad atmosphere is said to have been one reason for the trade.