Brandon Beane Explains Why He Chose To Trade Stefon Diggs

Bills General Manager Brandon Beane made a huge move today by trading away Stefon Diggs. This afternoon he spoke about what it meant for the team.

Brandon Beane traded Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans this morning and received a 2nd round draft pick in return. It's a move that will either turn out to make him look like a genius, or a fool.

Beane says they made this move because they're trying to win

A lot of people feel as though this is a rebuild year and feel as though this move confirms it, but Beane wanted to set the record straight. He explained that it wasn't an easy move to make but that it was one that he thinks will eventually help the Bills to win.

"Anytime you make a move like this, you're doing it because you're trying to win. This is not the Bills taking a step back." - Brandon Beane

Has he ever considered moving Diggs before this year?

Beane explained that he's gotten inquiries about Diggs over the last couple of years but it just never felt like the right time to do it.

Why was this year the good year to trade him?

If it's all about timing, what makes this year the right time to do it? Beane responded, "The timing is the value that you're being offered for the player vs. what you think is fair. And you're not only looking at this year."

What was the deciding factor in trading Diggs?

The talks regarding Stefon got serious this week, according to Beane. While he spoke very highly about Diggs, as you would expect a professional to do, throughout the conference, he did add that it's generally not just one thing (unless someone broke the law or did something really bad) that will contribute to it. Then he said that certain things need to be "kept in-house" as far as how a decision was made.

Who will replace the leadership?

The Bills have lost a bunch of leaders on their team this year. Many of the players that were either cut or left for other teams were veterans and captains. When asked about the amount of leadership that the Bills have lost this year, Beane acknowledged that they've lost a bunch, but that it's also a great opportunity for young players to step into those roles and there are plenty of them that are ready to do that.

He continually said to be patient and that they weren't done yet. "We haven't even had the draft yet. I don't think it's fair to assess what the 2024 Bills are going to look like yet. We play in September. Our fanbase needs to trust that we're going to trot out a damn good team come September. That's our plan and that's not changing."