Allen-Diggs tension remains as former Bills WR makes 'emotional' return to Buffalo

Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs got the pleasantries out of the way a season ago when the Buffalo Bills visited the Houston Texans for a Week 5 matchup.

The former dynamic duo met near midfield after Houston dispatched the Bills, greeting one another during a brief handshake and exchange of a few words. Almost a year later, Allen and Diggs will meet once again as the former Bills wide receiver returns to Buffalo for the first time with another new team, the New England Patriots. And Diggs is expecting to be in his feelings on Sunday night.

“It’s going to be a little bit emotional,” said Diggs while speaking with reporters after practice on Wednesday. “I try to keep the main thing the main thing, but it’s my first time back there. It’s going to be a hell of an atmosphere.”

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When Diggs was traded from Buffalo to Houston before the start of the 2024 season, it appeared as if some friction had developed between him and his former partner in crime. For years, Allen and Diggs ran roughshod over opposing defenses, with Diggs recording four consecutive 1,000-plus-yard seasons in Buffalo. But as time wore on, the Bills’ two alphas appeared to clash, highlighted by a sideline disagreement that was caught on camera late during the team’s 2023 AFC Divisional Round defeat at the hands of the Cincinnati Bengals. The following season, tensions lingered, leading up to another AFC Divisional Round exit before the Bills shipped Diggs to Houston.

Sep 21, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs (8) before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Gillette Stadium | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Allen said all the right things in the days before last year’s meeting with his former WR and the Texans, complimenting Diggs and expressing his desire to seek out his former teammate after the game.

“What he did in a Buffalo uniform won’t be forgotten,” said Allen entering the 2024 matchup.

However, the Bills quarterback held a different tone while discussing Diggs’ upcoming return to Highmark Stadium this weekend, seeming far less enthused than he had before the two players’ initial reunion last season.

“We played him last year, so I don’t think it’s anything super crazy," said Allen on Diggs' 2025 return. "But obviously, being back in Buffalo, who knows if the emotions are going to be heightened for him or for the fans or whatever it is. But just, we’re going to go out there and try to perform the best we can.”

Allen added: “You know, he's obviously still a fantastic player and you’ve got to kind of know where he is on the football field at all times.”

His comments on Diggs came mere seconds after he could not contain his excitement over former Bills WR Mack Hollins’ return to Orchard Park, as Hollins is also in his first season with the Patriots.

“Very excited to see Mack Hollins,” said Allen. “He made a very lasting impact in his one season here, and he’s another Buffalo kind of folklore legend.”

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It may be a stretch to equate Allen’s disparate comments with true disdain for Diggs. But if you’ve been reading between the lines over the past year and a half, it’s difficult to deny that there is a sense of resentment between the two players who used to refer to one another as brothers.

Diggs gave Allen his flowers earlier this week, saying, “We know what kind of player Josh is. You want to cut the tape on, or you want me to tell you that? It doesn’t matter.”

Still, it’s been interesting to watch what was once a strong relationship seemingly disintegrate over time.

From the cover of ESPN the Magazine to an ugly break-up, Allen and Diggs appear to have turned the page from their time together while leaving one another out of sight, out of mind aside from the two meetings between their respective teams the past two years.

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