NFL Spin Zone
Fansided

Minnesota Vikings: 3 Players to consider not committing to long term

By Mitchell Hansen

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - NOVEMBER 25: Dalvin Cook #33 of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates with Stefon Diggs #14 after a 26 yard touchdown reception in the first quarter of the game against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium on November 25, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - NOVEMBER 25: Dalvin Cook #33 of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates with Stefon Diggs #14 after a 26 yard touchdown reception in the first quarter of the game against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium on November 25, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images /

2. Stefon Diggs

Throughout the 2019 season, Stefon Diggs was once again the top wide receiver among the Minnesota receiving unit, oftentimes providing quarterback Kirk Cousins a nice deep-ball threat on offense that could break open a game at any given moment.

Diggs, who finished up his fifth season in the NFL and with the Vikings this year, led the team with a career-high 1,130 receiving yards and a career-best 17.9 yards per reception on the outside of the field for Minnesota. He finished with six touchdown receptions and managed to record 61 total rushing yards in 15 appearances for the purple and gold.

Those statistics and aspects of the young wide receivers game makes you wonder why he would be on this list of players that the Vikings could look to cut ties with ahead of the 2020 season, but one concerning aspect that has come along with the positives of Diggs’ game is the negative of the drama that comes along with the 26-year-old wideout.

Throughout the regular season, both early on in the year and even in the postseason, Diggs brought some negative and unwanted attention to the team while bringing up some drama-related issues primarily surrounding his role within the offense and the overall performance of the offense.

Often times, Diggs would be very open with frustrations he held when talking to the media before or after games, while also displaying his frustration openly on the sidelines on a few separate occasions during the year.

That negative alone could open up the idea for Minnesota to possibly try and find a trade partner to cut ties with both the wide receivers expensive contract along with any baggage he carries with himself behind the scenes in the locker room.

In 2018, Diggs signed a five-year, $81 million contract extension with the Vikings. The 2019 campaign marked the second year of that deal, which will expire following the 2023 year, with the wide receiver earning around $14.4 million per season on average during that five year span.

There’s no question that Diggs is and will continue to be one of the top wide receivers in the NFL, but with Minnesota needing to address some salary cap issues both this upcoming season and in the coming years, the drama that he can tend to carry with him might persuade the Vikings to not wanting to commit to Diggs long term.

Now, if they are able to find a willing trade partner that could return a nice, affordable piece to Minnesota this offseason, that’s another question.

Home/Minnesota Vikings