Quarterback Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills told reporters on Tuesday that the team's wide receiver Stefon Diggs skipped the Bills' first mandatory minicamp practice because they have been working on some internal issues.

"There's things that I could do better to help out with this process and try to get him back here and be the Buffalo Bill that he's meant to be," Allen said. "I think we're just, as an organization, maybe not communicating the right way with everything. So again, just trying to talk and listen at the same time and hear him out. And like I said, just try to move this forward as quickly and as respectfully as possible."

Allen denied that there was any personality difference between him and Diggs. Both he and the outside linebacker tried to downplay the seriousness of Diggs' absence from Tuesday's practice since there is still a long time before the regular season begins in September.

Allen and Diggs paired to start all 16 games of the Bills with a 13-3 record. Allen completed 359 of his 567 passes for 4.283 yards and 35 touchdowns with 14 interceptions. Diggs was targeted 154 times and caught the ball 108 times for 1,429 yards and 11 touchdowns. Both were named for the Pro Bowl. Diggs was also selected for the second-team All-Pro. The team lost to the Cincinnati Bengals in the American Football Conference Divisional Round game.

"He's a brother of mine. This does not work, what we're doing here, without him. We wish he was in here today and was out there on the field with us and that's not the case, but I've got his back no matter what. And again, I've got no doubt that we will figure out what's going on. I frigging love him. I can't stress that enough," Allen said of Diggs.

As the Bills' head coach, Sean McDermott said he is "very concerned, very concerned" over Diggs' absence from Tuesday's practice. "When players miss, in particular [a] player of Stef's caliber, you'd love to have those players here," he said. "So, overall been pleased with the attendance and the guys' effort."

Diggs signed a four-year, $96 million contract extension with the Bills, including $70 million of guaranteed money, in April 2022. If the team trades him now, they will have to endure tens of millions of dead cap hit, including $13.2 million this year.