Former Minnesota Vikings linebacker Ben Leber was recently asked about the recent Stefon Diggs rumors and where he thinks the receiver will be playing next season.
During his NFL Scouting Combine presser on Tuesday, Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman was asked about all of the trade rumors surrounding receiver Stefon Diggs that seemed to catch some steam during the past few weeks.
This was an opportunity for Spielman to squash these rumors and this is pretty much what he tried to do when he told reporters, “there is no reason to anticipate Stefon Diggs is not going to be a Minnesota Viking,” next season.
Then came Wednesday when Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said, “I don’t see it happening,” in response to a question about the possibility of trading Diggs this offseason.
So after what Zimmer and Spielman said this week, there’s no reason for anyone to believe Minnesota is thinking about sending their star receiver elsewhere this year, right?
Well, life just isn’t that easy.
On Thursday, former Vikings linebacker Ben Leber appeared on CBS Sports Radio and was asked by host Zach Gelb if he believes Diggs will be on Minnesota’s roster next season.
"“No, I don’t think he is.”"
Leber also felt the recent comments from Spielman and Zimmer don’t really mean a whole lot when it comes to the possibility of the receiver being dealt this year.
"“I think the Vikings are playing it the right way. You’ve got to act like you’re going to covet the guy, that you’re going to keep him. That way you can get the best possible deal for him.”"
Leber isn’t just any random former Minnesota player offering his opinion. He also works for the team and is a part of the Vikings Entertainment Network.
He’s around the guys in Minnesota’s locker room each season and he has a good relationship with some of the current players on their roster. So he’s probably not going to add fuel to the Diggs rumors if he doesn’t truly believe a move could be made.
There seems to be more to the story than what Spielman and Zimmer are leading the public to believe. The relationship between the Vikings and Diggs might not be as strong as it used to be earlier in his career, but will this lead to him getting traded before next season?