NFL Rumors: Vikings WR Drawing Interest as Eagles Target

stefon diggs

Getty Minnesota Vikings WR Stefon Diggs.

The internet is ripe with trolls this time of year. There may be none bigger than the Vikings’ Stefon Diggs.

The 26-year-old wide receiver often posts cryptic messages on social media that get interpreted in a variety of interesting ways. The drama with Diggs can be traced back to last October when he was seen yelling on the sideline in the general direction of his offensive coordinator.

Later, he posted the upside-down face emoji. Whoa, the tension!

But the precedent had been set. This year, he has removed all Vikings references from his social media accounts. So when Diggs posted a series of tweets talking about life being too short and taking things with a grain of salt, it was seen as unhappiness with his current situation in Minnesota.

Diggs is one of the most explosive players in football and he’ll have a long line of suitors if he truly wants to be traded. Diggs has most heavily been linked to the New England Patriots as the ultimate bargaining chip in retaining Tom Brady. But the Philadelphia Eagles are another natural fit for Diggs. He would provide insurance for DeSean Jackson’s injured core muscle, plus inject much-needed youth into the roster.

“I can’t sit up here and act like everything is OK. It’s obviously not, but what I can say at this point is that I’m trying to work through it,” Diggs told reporters in 2019, via the Vikings’ official website. “At the end of the day, I want to win and put my guys in the best position to win.”


‘Pretty Long’ Odds of Vikings Moving Diggs

The Vikings remain locked and loaded to make another Super Bowl run in 2020. The team is too talented on both sides of the ball to blow everything up. Yet the rumors persist.

Would Minnesota even entertain the idea of trading receiver Stefon Diggs? Probably not.

For starters, Diggs is entering the second year of a five-year contract extension he signed in July 2018. The odds of the Vikings cutting ties with him are “pretty long,” per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. It just doesn’t make a ton of sense to move on from a young speedster in his prime.

Diggs has been one of the most productive playmakers at his position since 2015, especially over the past two years with 2,151 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. He ranked fourth in yards per catch (17.9) and 11th in yards per game (75.3) in 2019. Diggs also came in at No. 73 on the NFL’s list of Top 100 Players of 2019, as voted on by his peers.


Could Eagles Afford Adding Diggs to Roster?

The short answer is yes. The Eagles have a ton of salary-cap space, especially after releasing Nigel Bradham. Per Spotrac, the Eagles now have $44.8 million in team cap space.

Stefon Diggs’ current contract in Minnesota is extremely team-friendly, one more reason why the Vikings would likely never trade him. He’ll earn $10.9 million in base salary in 2020 and carries a $9 million dead cap hit. That number shifts to $11.5 million if a deal is completed after June 1.

Eagles GM Howie Roseman could get creative in a trade package and maybe explore sending Rasul Douglas ($2.1 million) over in a deal to recoup some dead-cap money. It’s worth serious consideration. Of course, the Vikings will probably be looking for a first-round pick in return.

They could throw in Alshon Jeffery just to get rid of him but it’s unlikely the Vikings would want to absorb what amounts to a two-year, $21 million contract. Sidney Jones is another possible trade chip but he only holds a dead-cap value of approximately $651,380.

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