Vikings WR Stefon Diggs' Strange Non-Injury Absence Gets Trade Rumors Whirling Again
By Michael Luciano
The Minnesota Vikings passing offense has taken a massive step back under new OC Kevin Stefanski, as Kirk Cousins went from a guy who threw for 4,300 yards and 30 touchdowns to struggling to complete a forward pass.
This has infuriated both of the Vikings' star receivers. After Adam Thielen called out the offense after only recording six yards receiving last week, Stefon Diggs missed practice for a "non-injury reason," which has predictably fired up the rumor mill and whispers of a potential trade.
The #Vikings listed WR Stefon Diggs as having missed practice today for non-injury reasons. No other explanation yet available.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 2, 2019
Diggs has just 13 catches for 209 yards and one touchdown this season. However, seven of those receptions and 108 of those yards came last week against the Chicago Bears, when Cousins and Diggs were stat-padding during garbage time.
The switch to a Dalvin Cook-centric offense has been great for the running game, but devastating for Diggs, who certainly isn't putting up numbers worthy of a receiver making $81 million over five years.
Kirk Cousins: 3 years, $84M
— Michael David Smith (@MichaelDavSmith) September 30, 2019
Stefon Diggs: 5 years, $81M
Adam Thielen: 4 years, $64M
Vikings: 31st in passing yards per game, 32nd in passing first downs per game
While Bill Belichick is probably already on Line 1 with Vikings GM Rick Spielman, a dozen other teams would love to bring Diggs in and get him back to form.