In most offseasons, when you trade someone like Stefon Diggs, it goes down as the deal of the offseason.
Not so much this year when we saw DeAndre Hopkins and Rob Gronkowski get dealt.
The Vikings traded Diggs, who has had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, to the Bills this offseason after months of speculation. Sometimes when there’s smoke, there is indeed fire.
There were plenty of big-name players dealt in the offseason. In Gil Brandt’s ranking of top players dealt this offseason over at NFL.com, Diggs was fifth.
Here’s what Brandt wrote about Diggs:
The only reason I didn’t rank this move higher was the drama that bubbled up around Diggs’ apparent frustration in Minnesota ahead of his ultimate move to a new locale. Will Diggs establish a strong rapport with Bills QB Josh Allen and find happiness in coordinator Brian Daboll’s scheme? If the answer to both questions is yes, he’ll be the No. 1 receiver this team dearly needs him to be. Buffalo paid a steep price, but I think Diggs will help the Bills close the gap with — and overtake — the longtime AFC East bullies in New England. And that makes the move well worth it.
Meanwhile, the Vikings are hoping that free-agent signing Tajae Sharpe or rookie Justin Jefferson (who Minnesota took with Buffalo’s pick) can help lessen the blow of losing Diggs.
You can check out Brandt’s full list here.