Kirk Cousins says Vikings were ‘smart’ to trade Stefon Diggs

When Kirk Cousins takes the field for the Minnesota Vikings in 2020 it will be without one his top targets from his first two seasons with the team.

Cousins will no longer have the opportunity to throw to Stefon Diggs each week as the Vikings decided to trade the disgruntled receiver to the Buffalo Bills last month. With Cousins as his quarterback for the last two years, Diggs averaged over 80 catches and 1,000 yards per season while making a total of 15 trips to the end zone.

It could have been a connection that went down as one of the greatest in Minnesota history. But Diggs wanted out and he’ll look to build a similar relationship with Bills quarterback Josh Allen.

Kirk Cousins thinks the Minnesota Vikings made a smart decision to trade Stefon Diggs to Buffalo.

Despite his success with Diggs since his arrival to the Vikings, Cousins knew the receiver wanted to get out of the Twin Cities last year. Diggs’ actions on and off the field made his intentions pretty obvious to the people who weren’t even in the locker room every day, so it wasn’t hard for the quarterback to put the pieces together.

On Tuesday, Cousins spoke with members of the local Twin Cities media during a video call and he provided some thoughts on Minnesota’s decision to trade Diggs last month.

"“It became apparent that (Diggs) wanted to play elsewhere, and I think it was smart of the Vikings to grant him that opportunity. It wasn’t a mystery, and that’s okay. I wish him really well.”"

The Minnesota quarterback also mentioned that he sent a text message to the receiver after the news of the trade and it included him telling Diggs he is, “as good as any receiver (he’s) ever played with.”

Of course, Cousins will miss having a weapon like Diggs to throw to each week as he continues his career with the Vikings. But he’s also not oblivious to the fact that the receiver wanted out and it could’ve turned into an ugly situation if Minnesota wasn’t able to figure out a solution.

Whatever problems Diggs had with the Vikings, he’s probably going to miss catching accurately thrown deep balls from Cousins next season. So after getting his wish, the receiver will now suit up for Buffalo and attempt to act happy about playing with a quarterback whose completion percentage ranked 32nd in the NFL last year.