Mike Zimmer considering benching Stefon Diggs against Giants?
Stefon Diggs has been the subject of trade rumors this week that he has perpetuated with both his social media activity and the comments he made to the media, and he may face disciplinary action as a result.
Diggs was not listed on the final injury report heading into Week 5 and is fully healthy, but Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer is not willing to commit to him playing against the New York Giants on Sunday.
“I don’t know, we’ll see.” – Coach Zimmer on if Stefon Diggs will play Sunday
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) October 4, 2019
Diggs missed practice on Wednesday for non-injury reasons, though he claims he was feeling ill. It seems obvious that he is frustrated with Minnesota’s offensive approach this season, and he passed up an opportunity on Thursday to definitively say he does not want the Vikings to trade him. In fact, he said there is “truth to all rumors.”
Whether he’s benched or not, Diggs has been fined by the Vikings for missing practice and skipping meetings this week, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Pelissero notes that Diggs has also missed meetings in the past.
The #Vikings fined WR Stefon Diggs for skipping meetings and practice this week, sources say – and that wasn’t the first time Diggs missed a meeting this season. Worth noting a lot of players get fined for things during a season, though. Bottom line: They want Diggs in Minnesota.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 4, 2019
After he caught a career-high 102 passes on 149 targets in 2018, Diggs has just 13 receptions through four games this season. The Vikings have been more run-heavy this year under new offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski.
Diggs seemingly hinted that he wanted to be traded to the New England Patriots with some of his Instagram activity earlier in the week, and this is apparently not the first time he has been openly frustrated with the Vikings. It’s possible Zimmer has seen enough and wants to send the star receiver a message.
