Bills stuck in salary cap hell with no way out despite Stefon Diggs trade

Despite trading away Stefon Diggs, who was on a four-year, $96 million contract extension as of the 2022 season, the Buffalo Bills remain in salary cap hell.

Buffalo shocked the NFL by trading away Josh Allen's favorite weapon to a fellow AFC contender in the Houston Texans. CJ Stroud's receiving corps just got a whole lot better, and all Houston had to give up was a Day 2 pick. In fact, they even received a sixth rounder back in return along with Diggs.

Surely there is some salary switching hands here. Diggs immense cap hit will limit Houston's spending in the near future. However, they also landed one of the best receivers in the NFL. Even at age 30, he's shown no signs of slowing down. Diggs had over 100 receptions yet again last season, making the Pro Bowl and leading Buffalo is nearly every receiving department.

Buffalo Bills still in salary cap hell after Stefon Diggs trade

Unfortunately for Buffalo, trading Diggs away doesn't get them out of salary cap jail. Per Over The Cap, Diggs will still cost the Bills over $31 million in dead money. This is after Buffalo already paid Diggs $40 million combined over the past two seasons.

Brandon Beane's plan for this offseason was clear -- the Bills wanted to get as much money off the books as possible while still maintaining a competitive environment. After letting Jordan Poyer, Tre'Davious White and now Stefon Diggs go, one could argue Buffalo has taken a massive step down in the AFC pecking order in just a few months.

Josh Allen is still in his prime. If the Bills fail to win a Super Bowl during his tenure, it'll be viewed as one of the greatest failures in this era of Buffalo football. Hopefully, the Bills have a plan in place to note just replace Diggs, but increase their postseason chances with Allen in the process.