The Indianapolis Colts have made it clear they look forward to using the 2024 offseason in order to add more explosiveness to the offensive side of the ball.
There are many ways to do so, and the likely scenario involves the Colts adding talent through the mid-tier of free agency and throughout the 2024 NFL draft. However, the fun part about the offseason is the many suggestions made about how teams can improve.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay had a trade proposal for the Colts that involved shipping their first-round pick in exchange for Buffalo Bills star wide receiver Stefon Diggs.
Indianapolis Colts receive: WR Stefon Diggs
Buffalo Bills receive: 2024 first-rounder (No. 15 overall) and 2024 fourth-rounder (No. 149 overall)
With Michael Pittman Jr. hitting free agency and due for a major contract extension, the Colts may want to have a contingency plan in place via a Diggs trade in case their incumbent No. 1 receiver walks.
Even if Pittman remains in Indy, pairing him with Diggs would greatly elevate a passing attack that averaged just 215.6 yards per game and scored only 18 touchdowns through the air in 2023.
Third-round wideout Josh Downs flashed some potential—tallying 68 receptions for 771 yards and two scores in his rookie season—while 2022 second-rounder Alec Pierce had another pedestrian campaign and hasn’t lived up to his billing. No other Colts wideout had more than 11 catches or 82 receiving yards last season.
Diggs would be a major upgrade for this group and should be attainable as long as Indy’s brass is willing to part with a first-rounder and potentially toss in an early Day 3 pick to sweeten the deal. He’s coming off his sixth consecutive 1,000-yard season and has made four-straight Pro Bowls, showing no signs of slowing down despite being on the wrong side of 30.
With quarterback Anthony Richardson set to return, this all-in move for Diggs could be well worth it. If everything goes to plan, the trade would lift a unit that narrowly missed the playoffs up to legitimate contending status.
Of course, a lot would have to happen in order for this deal to be done. That’s what the offseason is for, though.
Pittman should be expected to return either with a new contract or on the franchise tag. Pairing him with Diggs on the other side would be lethal in Shane Steichen’s offense even if Diggs is prone to the occasional sideline outburst.
Convincing Chris Ballard to part ways with a first-round pick is difficult enough. The contract Diggs currently has is another point of contention. Diggs still has three years left on his current deal with salary-cap hits of $27.4, $28.5 and $22.5 million over the next three years, respectively.
Those numbers aren’t terrible, but they certainly are among the league’s highest at the wide receiver position. Having a quarterback on a rookie contract does give the team much more flexibility in these cases, though.
A deal like this is unlikely to happen. The Colts probably prefer to keep the No. 15 overall pick for the chance to grab a playmaker on their side of the ball.
Still, the idea of Diggs and Pittman lining up as the 1-2 punch for Richardson is still a fun idea in a vacuum.
What do you say Colts fans? Is this a trade you would make?
