Where Was Stefon Diggs? Quiet Again vs. Chiefs, Is He Done In Buffalo?

Buffalo Bills receiver Stefon Diggs was nowhere to be seen in the Buffalo Bills' heartbreaking playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

The Buffalo Bills fell to their playoff boogeyman, also known as the Kansas City Chiefs, once again on Sunday, falling 27-24 in yet another heartbreaking postseason defeat.

Now, the Bills are left to once again ponder what went wrong this time. Don't get it twisted, a lot went wrong in all three phases of the game, and pinning the loss on any one error would be foolish.

That said, another no-show performance by star receiver Stefon Diggs may not be the main factor in the Bills' demise, but it might be the most-notable one.

Diggs, who made the Pro Bowl in each of his three seasons with the Bills, had an uncharacteristically slow second half of the season. After posting 100 yards or more in five of his first six games, Diggs didn't hit the triple-digit mark again for the rest of the season, a stretch spanning over three months.

With No. 2 receiver Gabe Davis out on Sunday, the Bills needed Diggs to step up against a strong Chiefs defense. Unfortunately, he had arguably the worst game of his four years in Buffalo, catching just three passes for 21 yards on eight targets. One of those targets was especially heart-breaking, as he couldn't come down with a deep bomb from Josh Allen on the first play of the Bills' final drive.

Stefon Diggs couldn't come down with it, but good lord Josh Allen. pic.twitter.com/SV5AJQy59Y

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 22, 2024

In Diggs' defense, though, there was a chance for him to be the hero. The star receiver was wide open underneath inside the two-minute warning, and could've easily picked up the all-important first down if Allen went his way. Instead, Allen went for the home-run ball to Khalil Shakir, which fell incomplete in the end zone.

With Diggs' abysmal second half of the season, and previous reports about him being unhappy with the team, one may wonder if this was his final game in a Bills jersey. Here's the thing, though, moving his contract will be exceptionally difficult for the Bills even if they want to.

In 2022, the Bills signed Diggs to a lucrative four-year extension worth $96 million. That extension hasn't even begun, though, as this season was the last of a six-year deal he signed with the Minnesota Vikings in 2018.

Bills' Problem: Too Reliant on Allen In Playoff Loss

If the Bills were to trade Diggs before June 1, they would take on a dead cap hit of over $31 million and actually come out in the red, not ideal for a team already facing a cap crunch. After that date, though, they could save around $19 million in cap space with only $8 million in dead money. That's obviously better financially for the Bills, but trading away their No. 1 receiver when they've long had issues with depth at that position doesn't sound like a wise move either, especially when Davis is also a pending free agent.

With Diggs having his worst season so far in Buffalo and already on the wrong side of 30, the star receiver presents an interesting dilemma for the Bills this offseason.