The Minnesota Vikings have some decisions to make this offseason, and one big one centers on wide receiver Stefon Diggs.
Diggs is a year and a half removed from signing a contract extension that would keep him with the Vikings through 2023, but after a tumultuous 2019 season, there is some question whether he’ll even be with the team in 2020. Michael Rand of the StarTribune examined Diggs’ status on Monday and suggested that the Vikings may have some reason to explore a Diggs trade during the offseason.
The Vikings have little cap space to work with at the moment, and Diggs’ $14.5 million cap hit for 2020 is the second-highest on the team behind only Kirk Cousins. In addition, there is some reason to believe Diggs’ usage may not be exceptionally high in 2020. The Vikings hired Gary Kubiak as offensive coordinator, suggesting an offense based around playaction and the run game that may not maximize Diggs’ talents.
Rand comes to the conclusion that the “smart money” is on Diggs playing elsewhere in 2020.
The wide receiver has even been posting a series of cryptic tweets throughout the week that may or may not have anything to do with the Vikings.
People don’t appreciate things until they’re gone…
— DIGGS (@stefondiggs) February 9, 2020
Diggs is unquestionably talented. He led the Vikings with 1,130 receiving yards in 2019. He also caused some off-field issues with unexpected absences and at one point fueled rumors that he was unhappy with the organization. That alone sparked plenty of trade rumors, and if the Vikings decide they need to free up some cap space and trade a valuable player, that may play a role in any decision on Diggs.
