Stefon Diggs’ price tag for the Vikings just went up again
By Chris Schad
With another wide receiver cashing in, the young Minnesota Vikings pass catcher sees his value rise even more.
Take one look one social media and one will see that a majority of the Minnesota Vikings fan base wants to see Stefon Diggs get paid.
The former fifth-round pick out of Maryland has done more than exceeded his draft position as he’s posted 2,472 yards and 15 touchdowns in his three seasons with the team.
That kind of performance, along with making one of the most memorable plays in franchise history, is something that screams “Pay this man!” But the rest of the league is starting to make Diggs’ contract negotiations a little more difficult.
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On Tuesday afternoon, the Los Angeles Rams signed newly acquired wide receiver Brandin Cooks to a contract extension.
While the Rams have yet to announce the terms of the deal publicly, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Twitter that the deal is for five years and worth $80 million.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport also reported that the new Cooks deal also has $50.5 million guaranteed in case of injury and $20.5 million fully guaranteed at signing.
Cooks’ extension is the latest domino to fall in the wide receiver market after notable receivers Mike Evans, Jarvis Landry, Allen Robinson and Sammy Watkins all hauled in deals via free agency or extension this offseason.
(Salary data courtesy of Spotrac.com)
With more pieces of the impending free-agent puzzle resolved, it should give more clarity on where Diggs’ contract should fall even if the New York Giants reach an agreement with Odell Beckham Jr. in the near future.
The question now is whether Diggs falls closer to the Watkins/Robinson tier or if he’s in the Evans/Cooks/Landry tier. On paper, it could be that the Vikings receiver lands somewhere in the middle.
Although his game has propelled him to become one of the emerging stars in the NFL, he hasn’t played a full 16 game schedule or finished a season with over 1,000 yards yet during his first three years in the league.
These may be knocks against Diggs that may try to drive his value down. However, his value goes beyond the stat line.
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His rising star status is something that has also made him a fan favorite in Minnesota along with that one play miracle-related play that was mentioned earlier. Diggs also is not coming off a down season (Watkins) or a major injury (Robinson), which should inflate his value a little more.
When it comes down to it, the Vikings could have gotten their young receiver for closer to Watkins or Robinson money had Cooks not agreed to an extension on Tuesday.
But by signing his name on the paper, Cooks put another contract in the upper tier of wide receiver contracts and hence raised Diggs’ value in the process.
Vikings chief negotiator Rob Brzezinski has done a masterful job in managing the salary cap for the team over the last few years, but the Diggs deal will be a major test. Minnesota still needs to fit Anthony Barr under the cap and might still have plans for other players, such as Trae Waynes, this offseason.
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In reality, Cooks’ extension only forces the issue on the Vikings to sign Diggs sooner or else another player may push his price out of reach.