Houston Texans' Trade Signals the End for Stefon Diggs

The Houston Texans' recent trade likely means the end for wide receiver Stefon Diggs.

Sep 29, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Stefon Diggs (1) scores against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The Houston Texans swung a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars in a rare inter-divisional swap on Thursday, acquiring wide receiver Christian Kirk for a 2026 seventh-round draft pick.

The Texans definitely needed help at the position heading into 2025, so landing Kirk—who has proven to be a good receiver when healthy—was a smart move for Houston.

However, it could very well spell the end for Stefon Diggs with the Texans.

Diggs is slated to hit the free-agent market and will probably earn a deal worth at least $15 million annually, or at least somewhere close to it.

Well, here's the thing: Houston will have to pay Kirk $16.5 million next season, and the team does not have a whole lot of cap space to begin with.

More than likely, Kirk was the Texans' answer at wide out, and they may already be resigned to the fact that Diggs will be departing next week.

It seems very improbable that Houston will spend over $30 million on receivers this offseason when it has so many other needs, particularly along the offensive line.

Yes, the Texans can make some roster cuts and restructure some deals in order to open up more cap room, but even if they do, they would probably be more likely to use that money on other positions.

Houston could also plan to draft a wide receiver next month to fill a tertiary role behind Nico Collins and Kirk with Tank Dell recovering from a horrific knee injury.

The Texans probably haven't gotten great news on Diggs' price tag, which may have been what prompted them to make this trade for Kirk.

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