Minnesota Vikings star receiver Stefon Diggs has been the headline of the offseason to this point, removing all of his Vikings related content off of his Instagram. Vikings fans have a wide variety of emotions, with some thinking it means Diggs wants out of Minnesota.
Diggs, who is under contract with the Vikings until 2023, has been known to leave people speculating his decisions over the last year. There was the “truth to all rumors,” winking after saying he wants to be in Minnesota during a press conference, cryptic Tweets and now the removal of the majority of his Instagram pictures.
The star of the Minneapolis Miracle has left fans speculating if he really wants to be in Minnesota or not, but is yet to come out publicly and state that he wants to leave.
What hasn’t been noted, is that Diggs’ Twitter header is still a picture of him running out of the tunnel at U.S. Bank Stadium. Now this is just another speculation, but why would Diggs go through all that trouble to delete his Instagram photos just to leave his Twitter picture in a Vikings uniform?
He is also under contract for the next few seasons, where he is 27 and still in his prime. Diggs has been arguably the most talented receiver on the team over the last decade, so it just doesn’t make sense to trade away one of the team’s top playmakers.
Not to mention, it was obvious the Vikings struggled in the absence of Adam Thielen, so it doesn’t make sense to get rid of half of one of the league’s best receiving tandem.
In 2019, Diggs posted 1,130 yards on 63 catches and six touchdowns. The next closest option for Kirk Cousins was Dalvin Cook, who totaled 519 receiving yards. Thielen was injured for a good chunk of the season, totaling 418 yards and six touchdowns.
The argument really shouldn’t be what should the Vikings be looking to get in return for Diggs. Instead, the team should be considering how they are going to fill their wide receiver three spot. The 2020 draft class is littered with talent at the receiver position, so the Vikings could look to spruce up their receiving core there.
When Diggs or Thielen have gone down with injuries in the past, the Vikings offense has struggled. If Diggs were to be traded, the offense would almost certainly regress in 2020. Thielen will be entering the season at 30 years old and Bisi Johnson or Chad Beebe would be the number two option for the Vikings.
On top of the already thin receiving core, the Vikings haven’t had the best luck when it comes to drafting the position in the early rounds. Diggs was drafted in the fifth round whereas Thielen was an undrafted Division II prospect who developed into a receiver after standing out on special teams. Laquon Treadwell was the last receiver the team took in the first round and that couldn’t have gone worse.
The Vikings need to upgrade at the receiver position, and that isn’t going to happen with the departure of Stefon Diggs. If the Vikings want to continue to make a push towards a Super Bowl, Diggs will need to be on the roster.