Stefon Diggs is in Buffalo for the long haul.
"Bills Mafia … (whispers) I'm not leaving," Diggs said Thursday, mimicking the famous line from The Wolf of Wall Street. "Other than that, I'm gonna be the same guy. I'm excited, you know, we got a new year, a lot in front of us. I'm not going to bite off more than I can chew, but everybody knows what I want. Everybody else wants the same thing, and hopefully we can stack some wins to get there. So, I'm gonna be the same person. I'm consistent. I'm not going to change who I am. I'm a man of integrity. I'm going to continue to be a leader, and I want to win."
The Bills officially announced Diggs' four-year extension Thursday, which keeps the star receiver under contract in Buffalo through 2027.
When he was traded from Minnesota to Buffalo in 2020, the two-time Pro Bowler said he knew he wanted it to be his last stop in the NFL.
"To me, my family, my support system, my agent, it was something that we talked about prior to me even coming here," he said. "I felt like my next spot was my last spot. I wanted it to be my home, and I wouldn't want to ever go anywhere. So anticipating that, it was important to me, especially in the first year and the second year, you just felt like you're kind of building that family. And it's hard to do that when you have a job and you try to stay professional, but you get those relationships like the one I have with Josh [Allen] and the other guys on the team. It's just like, alright, it's starting to feel a lot like home. You don't want to leave it."
In two seasons in Buffalo, Diggs has racked up 2,760 receiving yards on 230 catches with 18 touchdowns. He's been the most-targeted player in the NFL since the trade (331 targets) and has the fourth-most receiving yards in that span.
Diggs' presence is a critical reason Allen has grown into an MVP candidate the past two years. In the two years Before Diggs (BD), Allen had 30 passing TDs with 21 interceptions, a 56.3 completion percentage, 184.4 yards per game, 6.6 YPA and a 78.2 passer rating. In the two years With Diggs (WD), the QB has 73 TDS and 25 INTs, a 66.1 completion percentage, 271.2 yards per game, 7.3 YPA and a 99.2 passer rating.
The Bills shelling out major cash to keep the 28-year-old receiver underscores their belief that he buoys the offense.
Diggs, who previously signed an extension in Minnesota before the trade, watched a trove of receivers get paid in recent seasons, leapfrogging his $14.4 million per year contract. Before the new pact, Diggs sat 21st among receivers in annual pay. A new deal was necessary to better align his salary with his worth as one of the top receivers in the game.
But Diggs said he was never worried about when a new deal would come and clapped along with every receiver payday.
"You can never say you didn't see it in this day and age of social media," Diggs said. "So, for me, this is going on my eighth year. My first contract, I witnessed a lot of guys get paid, and I got paid eventually. In this game, I feel like -- and I even told my little brother this -- if you're a good player, you're going to get paid. It's more so about timing and when. I don't count anybody's pockets, is what I say. I don't count anybody's pockets. I clap for everybody, you know, I've always clapped for everybody because, at the end of the day, my time is going to come. I don't put a time limit on what I have or my blessings because that's God's timing. As far as with everyone else, when it's their time, you've got to clap for them. There were some hard-working men, and they earned every dollar. So I kind of look it as, I clap for others, and when my time comes, I'll be there."
His time came this week, and Diggs cashed in.
Now he can ride with #BillsMafia till the end.
