3 reasons why the Vikings won the Stefon Diggs trade

Cap space

When the Vikings traded Stefon Diggs before the 2020 season, they were in need of creating some additional cap space.

They had just given Diggs a five-year contract extension worth $72 million, with a little more than $40 million of it in guarantees. Trading the veteran receiver allowed Minnesota to get out of his contract, which opened the door for the team to add key pieces in free agency last year, such as Michael Pierce.

While Pierce opted out of the 2020 season due to concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vikings were able to bring in an overhaul of talent in free agency this offseason.

Signing big-name free-agents such as Patrick Peterson, Dalvin Tomlinson, and Xavier Woods in addition to bringing back former Viking-turned-Cleveland Brown, Sheldon Richardson, Minnesota was able to strengthen their defense on all three levels after trading Diggs.

While the Vikings improved defensively in free agency this offseason, they have been able to extend key players, such as quarterback Kirk Cousins, and restructure other players like Adam Thielen, in the past to help free up cap space as well.