Stefon Diggs and Justin Jefferson Are the Spider-Man Meme

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Oct 3, 2021

When the Minnesota Vikings traded a disgruntled Stefon Diggs to the Buffalo Bills for draft capital, enthusiasts of the team were down in the dumps on the prospect of replacing Diggs’ production.

After all, the 5th-Round find from the 2015 NFL Draft ranked 14th in the NFL for receiving yards and 16th in receiving touchdowns while in Minnesota. And since Percy Harvin’s departure from the franchise, pass-catchers didn’t exactly grow on trees.

So, Minnesota would lean heavily on golden boy Adam Thielen while plotting the next steps to find Diggs’ replacement, although no player could slide in and do so seamlessly.

Until he did.

Inside of a deep wide receiver class in the 2020 NFL Draft — the virtual one where Bill Belichick’s dog appeared to be at the helm of Patriots operations — the Vikings would use their Diggs-trade draft capital to tap another receiver. It could have been Henry Ruggs, CeeDee Lamb, Jerry Jeudy — or about four others.

General Manager Rick Spielman settled on Justin Jefferson from the national champion LSU Tigers to effectuate Diggsian activities. The decision emphatically worked. After Week 2 of the pandemic season, Jefferson rapidly emerged as a WR1 in the league, shattering the rookie record for receiving yards (1,400) previously held by Anquan Boldin in 2003.

Ever since, Jefferson and Diggs have been on-the-field equals. Diggs is afforded all the attention he could imagine from the right shoulder of Josh Allen, whereas Jefferson is clawing his way to stardom with the aid of Kirk Cousins in a Dalvin Cook-fueled offense.

And by “equals,” the comparison is a statistical one. Aside from a variance of total targets, Jefferson and Diggs are the Spider-Man meme.

Jefferson is a second-year phenom, and Diggs is a Pro Bowl veteran. That likely accounts for the discrepancy in targets. Talk to Jefferson about his targets in 2025 — when the comparison holds more weight according to age.

Interestingly, that’s always the wacky thing about “who won the Diggs trade” fodder. If the side-by-side of both men was just, Jefferson’s rookie numbers would be adjudicated against Diggs’ 2015 rookie totals. Or — in 2025 or so, one would look back and examine Jefferson’s first six seasons to Diggs’ first six campaigns.

But we don’t have the patience or tolerance for such common sense — not in The Digital Age. Everything revolves around the now. 

That makes the bedfellows status of each man statistically all the more intriguing. They’re essentially the same player per raw receiving totals. Jefferson leads in per-target value, and Diggs tops his trade-mate by 72 receiving yards since the start of 2020. Remember, too, Jefferson shares targets with Adam Thielen, Diggs’ old teammate. On a smaller scale, Diggs shares the load with Cole Beasley and now Emmanuel Sanders.

The trade benefitted both teams tremendously. The Vikings said good riddance to a player who wanted more attention in a passing offense — he was granted precisely that in the AFC East. Minnesota also swapped contractual value for five years as Jefferson’s rookie contract plays out. Diggs earns $14 million per season. Jefferson is a $3 million-per-year man through 2024. The Bills wanted a homerun hitter in their WR room. They now have it. The Vikings implement a run-first offense, a perfect utility for an affordable wide receiver to blossom as Diggs did from 2015 to 2019.

For reference, here’s the full trade fallout with all pieces in the rearview:

Diggs will pursue dreams of an AFC title and possibly a Super Bowl championship if his team’s trajectory continues. Minnesota is undergoing a tell-all year with its current brand of leadership.

Yet, on their personal merits of production, they’re close to the same dude. That should teach you a lesson about panicking in the immediate aftermath of a trade.

Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).

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