Bills’ Josh Allen insists ‘stats’ comment wasn’t a shot at Stefon Diggs

National Football League

Published Sep. 26, 2024 12:53 p.m. ET

Josh Allen has thrived in the Buffalo Bills‘ first three games in the post-Stefon Diggs era, but he doesn’t want to tear down his former teammate and wants to make it clear that he has respect for the star receiver.

When he met with reporters on Wednesday, Allen clarified comments he made following Buffalo’s 47-10 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars about the success of the team’s offense, which some viewed as shots at Diggs.

“I know there’s a lot of people talking out there. Again, I’m not trying to tear down anybody,” Allen said. “I’ve loved everybody that I’ve played with, and you don’t have to tear other people down to build each other up. And we’re building each other up right now and that’s all we’re trying to do and trying to stay together as a team. We’re really caring about each other and everybody in this building’s got that feeling.”

After throwing a touchdown pass to four different receivers in Monday’s win, Allen said that the Bills offense has had an “everybody eats mentality.” He later made a comment about Buffalo players being selfless and not caring about their individual stats.

“It’s a fun and wonderful thing when you got a bunch of guys that don’t care about the stats, they don’t care about the touchdowns,” Allen told reporters on Monday. “And again, I think throughout practice we just had this mindset of, like, ‘Hey let’s just do things the right way and find ways to win football games.’ That’s what we’re doing right now.”

There were several rumored reasons why the Bills opted to trade Diggs to the Houston Texans in April, a move that seemed to be a bit of a surprise. But Diggs had worn the Bills’ patience thin due to his antics, The Athletic previously reported. For instance, Diggs took a perceived shot at Allen on social media a day prior to getting traded.

Tom Brady’s Week 3 Power Rankings: Chiefs, Bills, Vikings, Seahawks & Texans

Allen insisted that he doesn’t have any hard feelings toward Diggs, saying he just wanted to praise the players currently on the team.

“I love 14, I still do,” Allen said, referring to Diggs by the jersey number he wore in Buffalo. “But everyone wants to keep making this thing a thing. We’re so focused on what’s going on inside of our building and that’s the only thing we’re caring about right now.”

Allen and Diggs quickly became one of the league’s best quarterback-wide receiver duos when they joined forces in 2020. Diggs was a Pro Bowler in all four seasons he played with Allen, consistently ranking among the top of the league in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.

However, Diggs’ stats took a bit of a dip as the 2023 season wound down. While he had another 1,000-yard year, he only had 388 receiving yards and a touchdown in the final 10 games of the season, including the playoffs.

Still, there was some concern that the trade of Diggs and Buffalo’s decision not to replace him with an All-Pro caliber receiver would cause Allen and the Bills’ passing game to take a downturn. So far, that hasn’t been the case. Allen leads the league in passer rating (133.7) and is second in passing touchdowns (seven). He also has two rushing touchdowns, leading the Bills to a 3-0 record and making him the early betting favorite to win MVP.

Additionally, the Bills’ “everybody eats” offense has also been among the best in the league. Buffalo leads the league in scoring through the first three weeks (37.3 points per game), with six different players having caught a touchdown pass from Allen.

[Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.]