Minnesota Vikings News & Rumors

Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs is generating trade interest, but he doesn’t necessarily want to be shipped out. On Wednesday, Diggs clarified his earlier comments regarding his dissatisfaction with the club.

[RELATED: Stefon Diggs Drawing Trade Interest]

“I never said I was unhappy or uncomfortable with my role. I said I wanted to win, that was what my frustrations were and that’s where it kind of got misconstrued last week,” Diggs said (Twitter link via Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press).

Diggs skipped multiple practices in Minnesota and has been fined upwards of $200K. In the midst of a five-year, $72MM extension, Diggs can take the hit, but he might not be happy about it.

Either way, Diggs seems to have calmed down, perhaps because the Vikings topped the Giants 28-10 last Sunday. Next up – a big matchup against the Eagles.

Sunday, 8:29am: Diggs is expected to be active today, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).

Saturday, 2:46pm: Mike Zimmer has not committed to Stefon Diggs playing Sunday against the Giants, but the wide receiver did make the trip to East Rutherford, N.J., Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com tweets.

It would be a major upset if Diggs did not play for a Vikings team coming off a loss — and one rather thin at wideout beyond its highly paid starting duo. Diggs’ status resided as a talking point in recent days after the fifth-year receiver missed practice for a non-injury reason this week. He is believed to be at odds with the Vikings and did not exactly deny reports of unrest.

The Vikings fined Diggs for missing practice and skipping some meetings this week, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter), who adds this is not the first instance of Diggs missing meetings this season. Although no known trade request has emerged, this story does not appear to be over.

Diggs agreed to a five-year, $72MM extension and followed that up with a four-year, $64.8MM re-up for Adam Thielen. Neither’s roles have been as prominent for the 2019 Vikings, who have become the NFL’s most run-oriented offense. Minnesota’s 99 pass attempts are the fewest of any team that’s played four games this season. That has caused some issues from the receivers. After a 102-reception 2018 season, Diggs has just 13 catches through four games.

The Vikings and Stefon Diggs may be at odds with each other, but it seems that they’ve reached some sort of understanding. On Thursday, Diggs returned to practice, according to head coach Mike Zimmer. 

Diggs, who signed a five-year, $81MM extension with the team, reportedly has some beef with the team. The club, officially, said that Diggs was absent from practice for non-injury reasons. The buzz has been that it stems from his dissatisfaction with the club, though the exact cause of that rift is not quite clear.

In any event, Diggs seems ready to go for this weekend’s game against the Giants. Assuming he plays, he’ll try to help his club improve to 3-2 on the year.

“I want to be here. I love being here,” Diggs said in 2018, before inking a whopping new deal with the Vikes. “I love being a part of the organization. They took a chance on me early on so I love it here as far as where we’re at. … Hopefully, we can get some things done and we’ll see how it goes.”

The Vikings and Stefon Diggs are at a crossroads. Diggs has been absent from practice due to non-injury reasons and a spat between the organization and the wide receiver could be at the root of the issue, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com hears. 

The Vikings are adamant that they will not trade Diggs, Rapoport says, but it seems that something will have to change, one way or another, for the two sides to move forward. Teammates aren’t sure whether Diggs actually wants to be in Minnesota and he’s nowhere to be found as the Vikings are two days away from facing the Giants at the Meadowlands.

The writing has been on the wall for some time. Diggs, who is in the midst of a five-year, $81MM extension inked in 2018, has not talked to beat writers in about two weeks.

He also might not be the only frustrated wide receiver in Minnesota. Adam Thielen recently complained about the one-dimensional nature of the Vikings offense, prompting quarterback Kirk Cousins to apologize. It remains to be seen whether Cousins will try and mend fences with Diggs in similar fashion, or if a mea culpa would even quell the divide.

Diggs has 13 catches for 209 yards with one touchdown through four games after hauling in seven passes for 108 yards in a losing effort to the Bears. Last year, he set new career highs with 102 catches for 1,021 yards and nine TDs.