3 reasons why the Vikings had to trade Stefon Diggs

Minnesota’s offensive scheme

During John DeFilippo’s tenure as the Vikings offensive coordinator in 2018, Stefon Diggs was putting up career-best numbers in just about every major receiving category.

However, DeFilippo’s pass-first offense was not one that satisfied Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer and it resulted in the offensive coordinator being let go after just 13 games with the team.

After the DeFilippo disaster, Zimmer handed the offense over to Kevin Stefanski and Gary Kubiak. These two implemented an offensive scheme that centered more around a solid rushing attack. This shift in the scheme also resulted in fewer targets for Diggs.

Despite getting fewer passes thrown in his direction, Diggs was still getting paid very handsomely. The receiver signed a $72 million extension in 2018 and together, he and fellow receiver Adam Thielen accounted for more than $20 million in cap space for the Vikings last season.

So for a team like Minnesota that put the ball in the hands of running back Dalvin Cook more than 300 times last year, they really had no reason to enter 2020 with two receivers who were each going to earn more than $11 million next season.