Season in Jeopardy for Former Star Vikings WR

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images.

Former Minnesota Vikings wideout Stefon Diggs’ season is in limbo.

Season in Jeopardy for Former Star Vikings WR

Now a member of the Houston Texans, Diggs suffered a non-contact knee injury in Week 9, and at the time of this article’s publication, no update was available on his status.

Brad Rempel-Imagn Images.

Generally speaking, though, Diggs is likely dealing with a torn ACL or meniscus. Neither outcome is very advantageous, especially for an aging wide receiver.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter said on The Pat McAfee Show Monday, “Everybody is hoping for the best with Stefon Diggs but there are some troubling signs here. The fact that it was a non contact injury and nobody has said to me that he’s fine yet.”

This was the play:

Doctor of Physical Therapy Jeff Mueller, who has a pretty fantastic track record on social media for projecting injuries, tweeted Sunday: “Stefon Diggs — Hard to truly tell from this angle, but it looks like his Right knee buckles inward as he steps right near the 40. Primary concern for ACL injury. Hopefully he got lucky and it’s just meniscus, but by initial video is doesn’t look good.”

Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans offered little to update on Monday afternoon: “Will see where he is.”

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images.

That type of update from a head coach doesn’t sound very optimistic. Houston is already down star wideout Nico Collins, so Texans football would become The Tank Dell Show if the worst is realized for Diggs.

Before the terrible injury, Diggs was on pace for 1,054 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns, impressive numbers for a player sharing WR space with the aforementioned Collins and Dell.

Stefon Diggs
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports.

The Vikings drafted Diggs in 2015 with a 5th-Round pick, and he quickly became a household name in the Twin Cities. He helped create The Minneapolis Miracle during the 2017 playoffs and held down the WR room with teammate Adam Thielen during the Mike Zimmer era.

Diggs requested a trade during the 2019 season, but ex-Vikings general manager Spielman held off on the plea until the 2020 offseason. He ultimately shipped Diggs to Buffalo in 2020 for the draft picks that would later net Justin Jefferson and Camryn Bynum.

The former Viking grew allegedly frustrated with the Vikings’ run-first offense, skipped practice after a loss to the Chicago Bears, was fined $200,000, and later requested a trade from Spielman. Minnesota obliged about six months later.

Then the Bills-Diggs relationship soured last year and this offseason, culminating in another trade, this time from Buffalo to Houston. After four productive seasons in Buffalo — but no Super Bowl triumphs or appearances — Diggs was on the move to another AFC contender.

Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images.

Ironically, Houston acquired Diggs with a Vikings draft pick. Indeed, when the Texans did business with Minnesota in March, they grabbed a 2025 2nd-Rounder from the Vikings, and that pick was directly used to obtain Diggs. So, in an “everything is connected” realm, Houston landed a former Vikings player with a former Vikings draft pick.

Houston also received a 2024 6th-Round pick and a 2025 5th-Round pick in addition to Diggs.

A full Diggs update should be available in the next 24 hours.


Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL. 

All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.