The Minnesota Vikings have come a long way since making the decision to part ways with Stefon Diggs — who was in the peak of his career when the organization traded him to the Buffalo Bills.
Roughly a month before the 2020 NFL Draft, the Bills acquired the Vikings receiver and a 2020 seventh-round pick in exchange for a 2020 first-round pick (No. 22 overall), a 2020 fifth-round pick, a 2020 sixth-round pick and a 2021 fourth-round pick.
Diggs was less than two years removed from signing a five-year extension to stay in Minnesota through the 2023 season.
A fifth-round pick in 2015, Diggs quickly established himself alongside Adam Thielen as an undersized force to be reckoned with. Over five seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, he compiled 365 catches for 4,623 receiving yards and 30 scores. He was also the recipient of arguably the most memorable play in Vikings history, “the Minneapolis Miracle,” a last-second game-winning TD catch-and-run to send the Vikes to a win over the Saints in the NFC Divisional Round and into the NFC Championship Game back in Jan. 2018.
Diggs posted back-to-back seasons where he posted career high numbers, finishing 2018 with 1,029 yards and nine touchdowns and following up with another impressive performance in 2019, finishing the year with 1,130 yards and six scores.
But things soured between Diggs and the Minnesota Vikings soured in his final two seasons with the organization, despite the receiver enjoying career-high production. Diggs was fined in October for missing team meetings and practices, which preceded and inspired trade rumors that subsided but never really went away.
Now? It almost seems like the Vikings brass had a crystal ball as they used the same No, 22 overall pick acquired from the Bills in the Diggs trade to select Justin Jefferson in the 2020 NFL Draft. Over the last four seasons in Minnesota, the former LSU star wide receiver has cemented himself as arguably the top pass-catcher in the NFL.
While Jefferson can do it all as a receiver in the NFL, the Vikings added Jordan Addison last season, who possesses a similar build and play style as Diggs.
Jefferson has posted insane numbers for the Minnesota Vikings in his first four years with the team and far surpassed Diggs’ production over the same amount of time. In his rookie season, Jefferson hauled in 88 receptions for 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns while averaging 15.9 yards per catch. He was named to the Pro Bowl after his rookie campaign and earned second team All-Pro honors.
The Vikings new star wideout followed his rookie campaign up with an even more impressive outing in 2021, finishing the season with 108 receptions for 1,616 yards and 10 touchdowns. Somehow, Jefferson took another leap and had an even better campaign in his third season, winning AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2022. He closed out his third NFL season with 128 catches for 1,809 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging a staggering 106.4 yards per game.
The Vikings star was on pace for another record year last season as he was averaging 107.5 yards per game after nine starts, with 1,074 yards on 68 receptions. He was ultimately placed on injured reserve in mid-October and was sidelined with a chest injury when he returned. He still set a NFL record for the most receiving yards over a player’s first four NFL seasons.
Stefon Diggs Believes Minnesota Vikings Decision To Trade Him Was Done With Bad Intentions
While Diggs went on to thrive in Buffalo, he was recently traded again to the Houston Texans. Jefferson on the other hand just became the highest-paid non-QB in the NFL, inking a four-year, $140 million contract extension that includes $110 million guaranteed, keeping him under contract with the Vikings through the 2028 season.
For much of his run in Buffalo, Diggs was a target hog, with Allen looking his way often as Diggs churned out 5,372 yards and 37 TDs over four campaigns.
However, following the firing of Ken Dorsey and elevation of Joe Brady to offensive coordinator last season, Diggs saw his role diminish. In the final seven regular season games and two playoff tilts, the wideout never hit the 100-yard mark, and his playtime went from consistently around 90% to dipping into the 60s.
Like his departure with the Minnesota Vikings, there were murmurs about behind-the-scenes drama with Diggs and the organization.
In his opening press conference with the Houston Texans, Diggs made it clear he has nothing but love for Josh Allen and the Bills organization, but made a point to publicly question the Vikings motive for trading him.
“I don’t know if they sent me to Buffalo with the most kindest, with the most great intent, but all’s well that ends well,” Diggs told media in Houston aviation . “When I got to Buffalo, (Allen) — (Allen) is still my guy. … He embraced (me) and we spent a lot of time, and I probably wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him.”
It’s clear Diggs still has animosity toward the Vikings organization, but when two teams decide to trade him after he posted great seasons consecutively, it’s fair to question if the player may be the issue.
1 Comment
Wow! Justin really is the G.O.A.T.! With 108 receptions for 11,616 yards in only his second season no one will ever catch him. I mean, who else can get over 100 yards per reception?