Is A Stefon Diggs Reunion Crazy?
Ever since the Vikings traded away Stefon Diggs to the Bills in favor of draft capital that ended up being Justin Jefferson and Camryn Bynum, Minnesota has lacked depth at the position. That is not in any way to say that the Vikings shouldn’t have made that trade; they obviously should’ve, and they clearly won the trade. However, it’s just a coincidence that the lack of a full roster of legit receivers has plagued Minnesota for a while now.
Of course, Justin Jefferson was paired with Diggs’ former running mate Adam Thielen for the first three years of his career before the Vikings would release Minnesota’s first son to get out of a muddy contract given to the aging receiver a few years earlier. The Vikings then immediately draft USC standout Jordan Addison, who has been filling Thielen’s shoes in a satisfactory way.
The problem, even in the Diggs and Thielen days, was a clear-cut WR3, and the story has been the same in the era of Jefferson and Addison. 2024 finally saw Jalen Nailor get his shot to take the position and make it his for the foreseeable future, and while he played fine for most of the season, there was still plenty left to be desired.
There is an argument as well that you can call TE T.J. Hockenson the defacto WR3, but his statistical production leaves room for another body. As does the Vikings’ lack of running game the last couple of years, and there’s no such thing as enough weapons.
While Nailor will likely be the WR3 again next year, there is plenty of room for healthy competition. It just so happens that Stefon Diggs will be an unrestricted free agent when the new league year begins in March.
After a couple of elite years that came up short with Josh Allen in Buffalo, Diggs seemed to force his way out of another team and found himself with C.J. Stroud, Nico Collins, and Tank Dell in Houston. Stefon would rack up 496 yards and 3 TDs on 47 receptions in 2024 with the Texans before tearing his ACL in October against the Indianapolis Colts.
Diggs will turn 32 in November, and it is unclear who he’ll be playing for at that time. It’s likely that Houston will want to extend him, as the wideout will likely want to play for a contender at his age, and that’s what the Texans believe they are.
Of course, everyone will always call out Kansas City as a suitor for aging receivers who want to contend, and that wouldn’t be a crazy idea. It’s also not crazy to think that Stefon Diggs, a DMV native who played college ball at Maryland, might like what he sees brewing back home with Jayden Daniels and the Commanders. But is Minnesota a crazy idea?
Kinda. The Vikings might not really be a spot for a receiver who wants to contend due to father time lurking, and at this moment, nothing is concrete in the Darnold/McCarthy dilemma. Minnesota is in need of some competition at WR3, but probably not for one with a market value of just over $13 million, per Spotrac.
The Vikings have the money and the ideal conditions for a third solid receiver, but probably not for an older one who has made it clear that he wants to be the focal point of offenses in the past and only wants to play with teams that are contending right now, and it’s just not clear that the Vikings will do that in 2025.
Health, coupled with age, will be a main concern for teams that will try to field the Minneapolis Miracle man, as well. Wherever he ends up, he probably won’t be WR1. Even in Houston, he seemed more like the WR3, which is what he would be for the Vikings. Still, with all of that taken into account, as well as Diggs’ accusation of the Vikings organization trading him to Buffalo without the “most kindest, most great intent.”
To be fair, it was a completely different regime that might have sent Diggs to the Bills to set him up for failure, and the wideout made it clear that there’s still love for Minnesota before the Texans’ trip to U.S. Bank Stadium in Week 3 of 2024.
They took a chance on me drafting me. I had to have the time there. The people were amazing. I kind of look forward to going back. We won’t have too much time, but the people that I knew, some familiar faces, I look forward to seeing.
The team doesn’t look exactly how it used to look. There are some familiar faces over there. (Veteran safety Harrison Smith) still over there. Some of those people that was there when I came in, it’s definitely an exciting time, going back.
The bridges may not be completely burned between Stefon Diggs and the Minnesota Vikings organization, and there’s an old saying that “all roads lead home.” The Vikings don’t have the perfect conditions for rekindling between the two, but the conditions on 3rd and 10 with 10 seconds left in the Divisional Round of the 2017 NFL Playoffs when the Vikings were down 24-23 weren’t exactly optimal either.
Buffalo right, seven heaven.
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