The Buffalo Bills are facing challenges after trading away their star player, Stefon Diggs, to the Houston Texans. Along with the financial implications, Buffalo is now in need of a new top wide receiver.
One option for Buffalo is to look to the 2024 NFL Draft to find a solution and select a wide receiver in the first round. Another possibility is to pursue a trade for a proven talent like Brandon Aiyuk from the San Francisco 49ers.
Aiyuk, a first-round pick in 2020, is entering the fifth year of his rookie contract with a guaranteed salary of $14.1 million in 2024. If San Francisco doesn’t secure a long-term deal with Aiyuk or use the franchise tag, he could become a free agent in 2025. Aiyuk’s market value suggests he could command a lucrative contract of $99.8 million over four years.
Acquiring Aiyuk would come at a high cost and would require careful management of the salary cap. However, if San Francisco is open to a trade for a second-round pick, Buffalo could seize the opportunity.
Thad Brown from WROC-TV expressed his preference for keeping Diggs over potentially adding Aiyuk to the Bills, as he believes Diggs has been performing well. Brown worries that signing Aiyuk may hinder the team’s salary cap flexibility. He suggests that investing in promising rookies in the upcoming draft may be a better option. If the Bills could acquire Aiyuk for a second-round pick, Brown feels that would be a good value. The Bills faced a significant financial hit by releasing Diggs, but this move also opened up some salary cap space for future considerations. Aiyuk had an impressive season with high stats and rankings, making him an attractive prospect for teams like the Bills.
