Stefon Diggs and The Bills Have Resolved Their Issues For The Time Being
Stefon Diggs and The Bills Have Resolved Their Issues For The Time Being
PLUS: Kirk Cousins On Contract Talks, Justin Herbert On If He’ll Sit Out Training Camp, Carson Wentz Future Plans, Lamar Jackson on Odell Beckham
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One day after leaving the Bills facility before practice and his coach saying he’s “very concerned”, Stefon Diggs turned up at practice Wednesday. Whatever issues being dealt with seem to be resolved according to Bills coach Sean McDermott who spoke with reporters again yesterday.
He made it clear that whenever a player misses practice for any reason, he’s “very concerned.” He shared that something needed to be worked through and characterized the talks as “healthy conversations”. He now feels that they’re in a good spot.
It’s still uncertain as to the specifics of what caused the issue, and it’s possible that we’ll never know.
Everything revolving around the situation has been mysterious. No one has laid out the actual problem. Odds are they don’t want anyone to know.
It’s clearly not nothing, because if it was nothing then we wouldn’t be talking about it right now. And there’s no doubt there were communication issues internally.
Josh Allen stated that specifically yesterday.
Bills fans have to be hoping that these communication issues don’t continue into the future. And hey, maybe they never have another problem again. It’s possible that they actually resolved their issues.
It’s also possible that it’s a ticking time bomb. Just because a fire got put out in the short term doesn’t mean that it won’t flare up again sometime in the future. It’s especially important these days how front offices and coaches communicate with star players who have more power than ever before.
Just look at Aaron Rodgers in his final years in Green Bay.
He wasn’t happy with his involvement in personnel decisions that affected his job. He wanted a seat at the table – an opportunity to give his opinion on specific moves the Packers were discussing. In the summer of 2021 Rodgers forced his hand.
At Rodgers' request Packers GM Brian Gutekunst traded for wide receiver Randall Cobb. Gutekunst knew that he needed to make his star QB happy. After Rodgers aired out his grievances, things looked to be resolved, at least in the short term.
But just 2 years later the baggage of the past reared its ugly head. After Rodgers found out Gutekunst had started looking for trade partners, he decided that he wanted to be traded to the New York Jets.
Stefon Diggs is no Aaron Rodgers, but the Bills know that if they want Diggs to be around for the long term, they need to do everything they can to keep him happy.
News Around The NFL
Kirk Cousins Doesn’t Plan To Resume Contract Talks Till After The Season (via Kevin Seifert ESPN)
The Vikings have a decision to make. Do they want Cousins to be their starting QB after the 2023 season? His contract expires in March of 2024. Right now it sounds like talks will hold off till next March, according to Cousins. The Vikings drafted QB Jaren Hall in the 5th round this year, but odds are he’s not Kirk's replacement. Cousins is 46-33-1 in his career in Minnesota but has been 1-2 in the postseason. Cousins will be 35 when the season starts.
Justin Herbert On If He Plans To Sit Out Training Camp During Contract Talks
Odds are that the Chargers will ink Justin Herbert to a long term contract sometime soon. He’ll be entering his 4th year in the NFL and is still playing on his rookie deal. He didn’t eliminate the possibility of sitting out training camp if a deal isn’t done.
"When it comes time for camp, the role of the quarterback is to be out there for his team and do everything that he can to put that team in a position to win. I understand that responsibility. It's something that you'll address when the time comes, but I guess we'll see."
QB Carson Wentz Intends To Play This Season
Per Adam Schefter: “Free-agent QB Carson Wentz has been spending time in Tampa, throwing and studying film with former NFL head coach Jon Gruden. Wentz wants and intends to play this season, and is awaiting the right situation.”
Wentz went 2-5 in his 7 starts with the Commanders last season. Now he’s a free agent. More often than not a starting QB gets injured in training camp or early in the season. At that point teams get desperate and sign aging veterans for the short term. Wentz could be waiting for one of these opportunities.
Lamar Jackson’s Comments On OBJ Yesterday (via Jamison Hensley)
"Odell is a legend to a lot of us [with] what he did early in his career and the [2021 season] when he was with the Rams. Odell is him, one of those guys."
Odell will be playing in 2023 for the first time since he tore his ACL in the Super Bowl with the Rams. The Ravens made a huge commitment to OBJ with a 1 year $18 million deal. I assume they wouldn’t have given him that contract if they were worried about his knee. Time will tell if he’s still the receiver he once was.
Colts QB Anthony Richardson On Preparation As A Rookie (via Stephen Holder)
“It’s just a matter of me putting the work in. I’m not just doing it for show. I actually want to learn this information, know this information for the team, because I don’t want to get thrown out there and I’m lost, and the team is like, ‘Why is this dude out there?’ I just want to make sure I’m on point with everything.”
The Colts drafted Richardson #4 overall in this year's draft. He’s 6’4, 245 and runs a 4.43 40 yard dash. He’s currently competing with veteran Gardner Minshew for the starting job.
Random Stat Of The Day
The NFL’s leading tackler in 2022 was Jacksonville's LB Foyesade Oluokun with 184 tackles.
Random Question Of The Day
“What's your opinion on naps?”
Naps are useful if necessary. I’d prefer not to take a nap. When I do it feels like I’m wasting part of my day. But if I’m tired enough that a quick nap would lead to me feeling better the rest of the day, then I’m happy to indulge.
That’s all for today! I’ll talk to you guys tomorrow.