Bills reach extension with defensive centerpiece, but Stefon Diggs drama looms

The Buffalo Bills signed defensive tackle Ed Oliver to an extension, but all eyes remain on Stefon Diggs. 

The Buffalo Bills have begun OTAs without star receiver Stefon Diggs, who infamously stormed out of the locker room and the stadium following Buffalo’s 27-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the playoffs.

That said, the Diggs drama was briefly pushed aside on Saturday when it was announced that the team and DT Ed Oliver agreed to a four-year, $68 million extension with $45 million in guaranteed money. Oliver is now under contract with Buffalo for the next five years.

The ninth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Oliver registered 20 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and nine tackles for a loss in 13 games played last season.

Buffalo Bills re-up Ed Oliver, but now must decide Stefon Diggs’ future

The Bills’ defense is an underrated part of the team’s success, but most opposing game plans start with the Josh Allen-Stefon Diggs connection on offense. Diggs is on the shortlist of top NFL receivers: he totaled 1,429 yards through the air and reached pay dirt 11 times in 2022, his third go-around with Buffalo.

Now the Bills have to make sure the relationship is reconciled. Diggs is under contract through 2027, but there are avenues to get out of it before 2025. There have also been trade rumors aplenty following Diggs’ blustering exit from Highmark Stadium in January.

Bills insider Jay Skurski from the Buffalo News recently said fans should be “mildly” concerned by Diggs’ absence from OTAs. He skipped the voluntary workouts last year and he could be pulling a similar routine this season, but it’s clear Diggs’ reputation has changed following the events in January and until he shows up and shows out, the doubts about his future will not subside.

To add fuel to the fire, Diggs has been firing off some cryptic tweets lately. I’d caution anyone against reading too deeply into a player’s social media output, but Diggs tweeting up a storm while questions swirl around his decision to skip OTAs isn’t the best from an optics point of view.

Optics don’t really matter if Diggs shows up for training camp and goes on to have another Pro Bowl season, as he’s more than capable of doing. The Bills still profile as a top contender in the AFC and one has to imagine Josh Allen is willing to put aside whatever conflict may have bubbled up during the Bengals game.