National media claims Stefon Diggs left Minnesota for more money
By Adam Patrick
Did Stefon Diggs want the Minnesota Vikings to pay him more before they traded him?
Few trades in the history of the NFL have worked out as well for both sides as they have after the Minnesota Vikings decided to trade Stefon Diggs to the Buffalo Bills last March.
The Vikings ended up with an extra first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and they used that selection on former LSU wide receiver Justin Jefferson. All Jefferson has done in his rookie season with Minnesota is put up the type of first-year numbers that the franchise hasn’t seen since Randy Moss‘ debut campaign in 1998.
As for Diggs, he’s been enjoying a ton of success with the Bills and after the first 15 games of the 2020 season, he leads the NFL in catches and receiving yards.
Was Stefon Diggs jealous of the Minnesota Vikings paying Adam Thielen in 2019?
During a recent interview with ESPN, Diggs confirmed the reports that he wanted the Vikings to trade him earlier this year due to the team’s offensive focus being more geared toward running the ball.
But now, ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky and Damien Woody have declared that the young receiver wanted out of Minnesota after the team gave Adam Thielen a four-year, $64 million extension during the 2019 offseason.
If true, this would certainly be news to just about everyone. Especially since Diggs had just signed a five-year, $72 million extension with the Vikings in the summer of 2018.
During the 2018 season, Thielen finished with more catches, receiving yards, and both he and Diggs tied for the team lead in touchdown catches.
So we’re supposed to believe that Diggs was unhappy with Minnesota after they gave a raise to the guy who put up better numbers than him in 2018? If people are having trouble figuring out if this makes sense or not, it’s okay because it just doesn’t make any sense at all.
From Diggs’ recent comments during his interview with ESPN, it didn’t sound like his issues with the Vikings had anything to do with money. Instead, it was more about him not being able to produce at the high level he felt he was capable of due to being held back by Minnesota’s run-first offense.
People can believe who and whatever they want, but it seems a tiny bit safer to believe the actual player involved in the situation and not a pair of ESPN analysts.