After the Buffalo Bills surprisingly shipped star wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans, Diggs welcomed fellow Maryland native and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison to his new home in Houston.
On April 9, Diggs posted a video on Instagram of him and Addison running hills in Houston as Addison enters his first full NFL offseason where he’ll likely workout with several of the league’s top receivers.
Addison’s training with Diggs is fitting. At the NFL Combine last year, Addison said he modeled his game after Diggs, touting his route running and ability to separate.
Their connection goes beyond football as well. The two NFL stars grew up in the same area of the Baltimore metro and attended high schools 45 minutes apart. Diggs also played college football at Maryland.
“We grew up around the same neighborhood,” said Addison, who is nine years younger than Diggs, per The Buffalo News. “We played for the same youth league team. That was a guy I looked up to and watched growing up.”
Addison’s training with Diggs is wise from a football perspective but has raised some eyebrows from a personality perspective after Diggs has worn two different organizations thin in five years.
The Vikings selected Addison with the 23rd overall pick after he was touted as arguably the best route runner in his draft class. His rookie year got off to a rocky start after he was cited for speeding and reckless driving, exceeding 140 miles per hour in his Lamborghini last June. Ramsey County Court documents obtained by ESPN state that Addison’s reckless driving was due to a “dog emergency.”
Addison apologized publicly for his “poor judgment” and promised not to “repeat the behavior.” He made fans quickly forget about the incident, tallying seven receptions for 133 yards and two touchdowns in his first two career games.
He went on to post 70 catches for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns in 17 games.
Vikings Trading Away Diggs Looks Even Better After Texans-Bills Trade
In March 2020, the Vikings traded Diggs to the Bills for a first-round pick that was used to land Justin Jefferson.
The deal was seemingly a win-win as the Vikings landed Jefferson, who reset the rookie receiving yards record, and the Bills were made an immediate contender with a star receiver to help Josh Allen develop into one of the league’s elite quarterbacks.
However, the deal looks even sweeter for the Vikings after their trade with the Texans earlier this offseason. The Vikings sent 2024 and 2025 second-round picks to Houston in exchange for the No. 23 pick in this year’s draft.
On April 3, the Texans sent their 2025 second-round pick in exchange for Diggs and a pair of Day 3 picks. While Houston traded their 2025 second-round pick (not the pick acquired from the Vikings), the Texans felt comfortable spending that capital for Diggs knowing they have another second-rounder stashed.
Diggs was an incredible pick for the Vikings, who selected him in the fifth round of the 2015 draft. By trading Diggs to Buffalo, the Vikings replaced him with Jefferson and landed safety Cam Bynum — all for the original cost of a fifth-round pick.
And by helping the Texans facilitate a trade for Diggs, the Vikings are now positioned with another first-round pick, which could be a centerpiece of a trade-up for a top-four quarterback in this year’s draft.
Vikings WR Justin Jefferson Unlikely to Be Traded With Rookie QB on the Way
GettyVikings starting wide receivers K.J. Osborn (17), Jordan Addison (3) and Justin Jefferson (18) in the team’s 2023 season opener.
While Addison filled the WR1 role admirably while Jefferson was out with a hamstring injury, the Vikings are not willing to trade Jefferson away.
The questions at quarterback are also not a concern despite speculation that Jefferson may steer from signing a contract extension in Minnesota.
According to The Athletic’s Alec Lewis, Jefferson is “well aware” of the quarterback situation and the idea of helping develop a rookie quarterback, much like Diggs did with Allen in Buffalo, “excites” Jefferson.
“I also think Justin is well aware of the business dynamics, roster building, and I think he’s aware of what they can potentially do with the new [QB]. And I think part of that excites him for sure,” Lewis said told KFAN’s Paul Allen on April 8.
Without a pricey veteran quarterback contract on the books, the Vikings have the fourth-most available cap space — over $100 million — next offseason, which offers plenty of spending potential to fill roster holes.
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Promising Vikings WR Raises Eyebrows After Training With Stefon Diggs