On Monday night, Stefon Diggs got his wish.
After voicing his frustration with the Minnesota Vikings for the last several months, the talented wide receiver was officially traded to the Buffalo Bills.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Vikings got quite the haul in exchange for the disgruntled wideout, especially when you consider what the Houston Texans got for DeAndre Hopkins.
Animosity between the 26-year-old Diggs and his former team came to the surface early in 2019, when Diggs voiced his frustration with reporters, validating reports that he wanted out in Minnesota.
“There’s truth to all rumors. I won’t be speaking on that,” Diggs said. “And what I mean by that, so I can politely explain, there was a lot of speculation of me being frustrated. Of course. Being a receiver, and wanting to have success and wanting to win, if you want to win and you’re not winning, of course you’ll be frustrated.”
Last season Diggs recorded a career high 1,130 receiving yards, despite recording the lowest number of targets since his rookie season in 2015. Last season, quarterback Kirk Cousins ranked 24th in the NFL in attempted passes with 444.
The rift between Diggs and the Vikings can partly be attributed to the Vikings offense relying heavily on running back Dalvin Cook to carry the offensive load. Fellow receiver Adam Thielen voiced his frustration with the run heavy scheme in October.
“At some point, you’re not going to be able to run the ball for 180 yards, even with the best running back in the NFL,” Thielen told The Athletic. “That’s when you have to be able to throw the ball. You have to be able to make plays. You have to be able to hit the deep balls. You have to do that.”
The Vikings finished second in the NFC North with a 10-6 regular season record in 2019. They would go on to lose to the eventual NFC Champions, the San Francisco 49ers, in the divisional round. They will likely look to the draft to replace Diggs’ production.
The Bills are now a team that’s clearly on the rise. With a couple more shrewd moves this offseason, they could very well contend in the AFC.
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