As hard as it may be to believe, it's been more than six years since Stefon Diggs suited up for the Minnesota Vikings, with his last appearance in the Purple & Gold coming on January 11, 2020, in a Divisional Round loss to the San Francisco 49ers, a game in which he caught two passes for 57 yards, including a 41-yard touchdown.
In the years since, the former fifth-rounder has been catching passes in the AFC, first spending four years with the Buffalo Bills, earning four trips to the Pro Bowl and a pair of All-Pro selections. Diggs was then traded to the Houston Texans ahead of the 2024 campaign but appeared in just eight regular-season contests before suffering a season-ending ACL tear.
And, of course, the Maryland alum spent this past year with the New England Patriots, who he'll represent in Super Bowl 60 this Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.
Before signing his three-year, $63.5 million deal with the Pats, however, Diggs, who had a strong season with 85 catches for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns, nearly joined another AFC contender.
Former Minnesota Vikings WR Stefon Diggs nearly signed with the Denver Broncos before joining the New England Patriots
Diggs was one of several high-profile players to meet with the media during the Super Bowl Opening Night ceremonies on Monday, and the 32-year-old revealed he was very close to signing with the Denver Broncos, who the Patriots just defeated in the AFC Championship Game, also saying how he very well could have remained in Houston had he not gotten injured.
"I just got a good relationship with somebody on [the Broncos'] staff. He was in Buffalo, so he actually taught me the offense in Buffalo. He spent a lot of time with me, so it was close, but just like everything, you know, we were just trying to figure it out for me. I mean, I played all the teams that I was damn near on.
We played Denver. We played Houston; I was in Houston before, so from my experience with God, I learned from the experience. Look at all that. Like, I could have still been in Houston if I never got hurt.
I could have still been in Houston if I didn't change the language in our contract from a three-year to a one-year. A lot of things could be different, so I don't think nothing happens by mistake."
One has to wonder if he was referring to Davis Webb, who was his teammate in Buffalo in 2020 and 2021 and has been on the Broncos' coaching staff since 2023, serving as quarterbacks coach and offensive pass game coordinator before recently being promoted to offensive coordinator. That's not really the point, but it's interesting nonetheless.
Diggs went on to say how he believes Bo Nix is a great quarterback and explained how much respect he has for Sean Payton and all the positive things the Broncos have going for them right now. Ultimately, however, in his words, "Came down to the Pats, though."