19 June 2023 , 19:12
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Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs and details of his frustrations with head coach Sean McDermott are beginning to emerge.
McDermott confirmed Diggs' unauthorised absence from team activities last week in a press conference and said he was "very concerned" by the situation. Diggs arrived at the facility and joined the team the next day, but the three-time Pro Bowler also did not attend voluntary team OTAs in May.
The conflict between the Bills and Diggs traces back to their postseason exit at the hands of the Cincinnati Bengals. During the 27-10 in the AFC Divisional Round, Diggs could not hide his frustrations on the field.
He was gesticulating furiously throughout the final stages, and the wide receiver also confronted quarterback Josh Allen to make his point. Diggs then did not speak to the media before leaving the locker room.
In February, Diggs spoke about the incident on the Dan Patrick Show. As the player explained: “When you saw frustration, it wasn’t necessarily just that play, but those moments that built up to it.”
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The Boston Globe has reported more details on Diggs' views, with his frustrations based on two factors. The offense and Diggs' role within it is one, with the other about his play-calling.
Diggs did attend meetings with general manager Brandon Beane and head coach McDermott on Monday and Tuesday but left before practice started. He then returned the following day, by which point McDermott had already made the situation public in his press conference.
Stefon Diggs signed a new four-year contract in April 2022 that was restructured in March of this year (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)“Stef (Diggs) is not here, but everyone else is here at the current time,” McDermott said. “I’m very concerned about that. I respect everyone’s questions and what they want to know about our team. Right now, I’m not going to get into that anymore. We’ll talk about practice, I’m happy to answer those questions, and we’ll move forward from there.”
After those comments, Diggs' agent, Adisa Bakari, confirmed to ESPN that the two meetings took place, as did a physical. Bakari also added that his client would be in Buffalo for the entirety of the minicamp.
The camp ended prematurely on Wednesday after the team cancelled its final day. The Bills now do not reconvene until late July for training camp.
Adding fuel to the fire, Diggs took to social media last week and posted a cryptic message on Instagram. "I just be letting people cap. If their lies help you better tell em big dawg." It is not clear who the comments are alluding to.
The wide receiver signed a four-year, $96 million contract extension to stay in Buffalo barely a year ago. That deal positions Diggs as the joint-fifth highest-paid receiver in the league; frustrations are unlikely to stem from a financial standpoint.
Only Tyreek Hill ($30m), Davante Adams ($28m), Cooper Kupp ($26.7m) and A.J. Brown ($25m) earn more on average per year than the Bills player. The Seattle Seahawks' D.K. Metcalf also makes $24m.