Minnesota Vikings: 3 Reasons trading Stefon Diggs was the right move
3. Salary cap situation
Going into the offseason following the 2019 season, Minnesota was faced with a tough salary cap situation that resulted in the organization having to make some tough decisions when it came to upcoming free agents and other players on the roster.
Part of the effort to start the relief of salary cap space and to create some room for the team both in 2020 and for years to come game in free agency, when players like Everson Griffen, Tom Johnson, Mackensie Alexander, Trae Waynes and others left the team to join other squads this offseason. Minnesota also parted ways with Pro Bowl cornerback Xavier Rhodes after cutting the defensive back.
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Another opportunity that arose to try and create some more space came down to Diggs and the large contract he held. The Vikings saw moving Diggs as an opportunity to further extend their salary cap space, which was just one of the many reasons why the trade of Diggs was needed for Minnesota moving forward.
As head coach Mike Zimmer mentioned in the previous slide regarding the Diggs trade, the organization saw this move as both an opportunity to gain more future assets as well as shed some money to focus adding pieces elsewhere on the team. And the fact that Diggs’ growing frustration was a glaring issue meant this was the right move to make.
There’s no doubt that Diggs is and has been one of the top wide receivers in the NFL since entering the league, oftentimes leading the Vikings receiving group annually. That made this move of parting ways with Diggs a difficult one, but a necessary one.
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.
Not only would the wide receiver’s contract continue to put Minnesota in a tough situation with the salary cap in 2020, but it would make things difficult to add more pieces in future years moving forward.