Stefon Diggs Damns Vikings With Deshaun Watson Comparison

Getty Stefon Diggs compared his conflict in Minnesota to Deshaun Watson's with the Houston Texans.

Ex-Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs saw his side of the fallout with his former team spread by national outlets with his emergence as the league’s most productive wide receiver in 2020.

Following his trade last offseason, Diggs led the league in receptions (127) and receiving yards (1,535) in his first season with the Buffalo Bills, helping the Bills reach their first AFC Conference Championship game since 1993.

He earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors for the first time in his career, manifesting his potential by leaving the Vikings’ run-heavy approach to a pass-happy Bills offense.

Several reports of a breach of trust between Minnesota and Diggs in the final two years of his career with the Vikings surfaced throughout the 2020 season.

Whether they’re valid or exaggerated claims, Diggs has championed his story and recently likened his situation in Minnesota to Deshaun Watson’s dispute with the Houston Texans.

“I’m a huge fan of Deshaun Watson. I think he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league,” Diggs said on ESPN’s First Take. “For a man to be upset or a man to want something different for himself, I don’t think he’s wrong for that. I was one of those unique situations where it worked out.”

Here’s his full interview below.

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Diggs Details Lack of Trust With Vikings

Coming off the 2018 NFC title game appearance, the Vikings looked poised to be a Super Bowl contender for the remainder of the decade after re-signing Diggs to a five-year, $72 million contract extension and adding Kirk Cousins at quarterback.

However, the Vikings offense began a transition to a run-heavy approach in the 2018 season that did not produce the results akin to the 2017 postseason run, missing the playoffs with an 8-7-1 record.

A report of coach Mike Zimmer manipulating the offense’s direction that offseason spelled the beginning of a growing divide between Diggs and Minnesota’s brass.

The Vikings returned to the postseason in 2019 and manufactured a walk-off overtime victory over the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Wild Card round, however, the offense was stymied by the San Francisco 49ers the following week.

In an ESPN cover story, Diggs explained how he felt his conversations about the direction of the team and his involvement in the offense felt inauthentic as the Vikings opted to push forward with its approach.

“I’m not gonna say [they were] peeing on me and telling me that it’s raining,” he says. “That’s a little bit harsh,” Diggs said. “But something like that. … Once you don’t have trust with a person, it’s hard to do business.”

Diggs Proved His Utility in Buffalo

GettyStefon Diggs reached new heights both personally and with the Buffalo Bills in 2020.

Diggs provided more context to his conversations with Minnesota and the lack of trust he felt, later relating to Watson taking control over his situation like Diggs once did with the Vikings.

“My situation was very unique for myself because the things that I voiced as far as being in a work world, you want to be able to trust the people that you work with, you want to have that relationship where you are building and you are on the same page,” Diggs said. “But we don’t live in a shut up and play world anymore. Not at all, in no way shape, or form, and everything that is going on, with people realizing their power and how much they mean. They just want to have a say in the things that take place. This is our lives, this is our career and we take it pretty seriously.”

While it remains to be seen if the Vikings could thrive with a different offensive scheme, Diggs proved he could help Buffalo change its narrative in the league by becoming the top weapon in the offense. He took the opportunity to make it clear that his success since moving on from Minnesota is no more than an increase in opportunity.

“This is a pass-heavy offense that I’m in now coming from more of a run-heavy offense where I may not be getting as many targets or as many opportunities,” Diggs said during his appearance on First Take. “So there are just more opportunities with this offense, that’s all. You kind of don’t want to overthink it and make it more than it is. But, there are more opportunities when you are throwing it 30-40 times a game.”

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