Stefon Diggs – Being the Bills’ captain “means more” this year

ORCHARD PARK, New York — When Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stephon Diggs was named team captain for the first time in 2021, he said he was a little surprised because it was his first time in the position.

“The people you go with every game, in terms of the practicality and the fact that they trust you. They trust you in the big moments, they trust you every day because you will do the right thing on and off the field. So, yeah, I was happy,” Diggs said in 2021.

On Wednesday, Diggs was named team captain for the third season in four seasons with Buffalo and the third year in a row. While it meant a lot to the wide receiver when his teammates voted him captain for the first time in his career in just his second season with the Bills, he said this time meant more.

“For me, it means more now than it did when I was, and it’s the first time I’ve been named captain,” Diggs said on Thursday. “Just consistency, respect from your mates. I know the most important thing for me is always to earn the respect of my teammates, to earn the respect of my coaches, and when you get named captain it’s reassuring, like, ‘You might be fairly decent at what you do, you know What am I saying? Not just on a professional level, but in terms of how you represent yourself and who you are as a man.”

Diggs, 29, is one of eight Bills captains along with quarterback Josh Allen, quarterback Mitch Morse, first-time captain wide receiver Gabe Davis, safety Micah Hyde and Jordan Boyer, pass tackle Von Miller and linebacker and special teams player Tyler Matakiewicz.

In each season with the Bills, Diggs has totaled over 1,200 yards, at least eight touchdowns and over 100 receptions.

This off-season was one of the significant and often unfounded overseas speculation surrounding Diggs, especially after he was not present for one mandatory mini-camp practice after being on the premises earlier in the day, but coach Sean McDermott clarified the next day. that Diggs was exempt from that practice.

Since junior camp, Diggs has been present and fully involved in every Bills practice and has continued to look for synchronization with Allen. He confirmed at the start of training camp, when asked, that he still “100%” wants to retire as a Bill after signing a four-year, $104 million extension in April 2022 with his contract expiring through 2027 and that his focus is on winning and winning the Super Bowls.

Diggs said that blocking out the noise has been an important part of this season.

“I mean, you know, with everything that’s happened in terms of the offseason and everything that’s going on in the offseason, it’s like … blocking out the noise,” Diggs said. “It was one of those, it was one of those seasons where, like, there was a lot of chatter. It was kind of a constant thing, but you block out the noise, you focus on the football, you focus on your team, you focus on the people around you. So, to me, that meant a lot. And so, I keep working hard, I keep putting my head down and bringing my lunch pail to work every day, and I give everything I take.”

Part of what makes Diggs so valued is that the opinion of his teammates in the locker room has meaning to him.

“I don’t take things personally from people I don’t know personally, and I know those people there personally,” Diggs said. “You know their families, you know their children, and you spend a lot of time with them, drenched in blood and sweat and tears…so my appreciation really goes to those. They are as close as your loved ones, and what they look like.” You and how they respect you, how they value you, goes a long way.”