Former Vikings WR Beat the Allegations
Ex-Minnesota Vikings wide receiver and co-architect of the Minneapolis Miracle Stefon Diggs has a clean slate, found not guilty of assault and strangulation on Tuesday after bizarre allegations emerged earlier this year.
The legal cloud is gone, and Diggs should have suitors before training camp.
Diggs can now presumably return to normal offseason operations, hoping to sign with a team before too long.
Diggs’s Production Still Makes Him a Realistic Summer Option
The 32-year-old received expedient justice.
Diggs Is Not Guilty
The trial flew by in a jiffy, and Diggs was acquitted. ESPN reported, “Former New England Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs was found not guilty on Tuesday of assaulting his private chef in a pay dispute. The four-time Pro Bowl wideout pleaded not guilty in February to a felony strangulation charge and a misdemeanor assault and battery charge stemming from the alleged dispute.”
“The trial lasted only two days. The acquittal clears a path for Diggs’ return to the field, but he still could face discipline from the NFL. The case centered on a Dec. 2 encounter at Diggs’ home in Dedham, where Jamila Adams, a former live-in personal chef who is known as Mila, testified that he slapped and choked her during an argument.”
That’s about as fast as justice can unfold in the United States, especially for a celebrity.
Career Production
NFL teams were probably biding their time to see what came of Diggs’s legal troubles, and now that his alleged crimes are in the rearview, he should be a semi-hot commodity. As recently as last year, Diggs cooked in New England.
Here’s his career resume since joining the Vikings in 2015:
2025 — (NWE) 85 Rec | 1,013 Yds | 4 TDs
2024 — (HOU) 47 Rec | 496 Yds | 3 TDs
2023 — (BUF) 107 Rec | 1,183 Yds | 8 TDs
2022 — (BUF) 108 Rec | 1,429 Yds | 11 TDs
2021 — (BUF) 103 Rec | 1,225 Yds | 10 TDs
2020 — (BUF) 127 Rec | 1,535 Yds | 8 TDs
2019 — (MIN) 63 Rec | 1,130 Yds | 6 TDs
2018 — (MIN) 102 Rec | 1,021 Yds | 9 TDs
2017 — (MIN) 64 Rec | 849 Yds | 8 TDs
2016 — (MIN) 84 Rec | 903 Yds | 3 TDs
2015 — (MIN) 52 Rec | 720 Yds | 4 TDs
His heyday clearly occurred in Buffalo with Josh Allen distributing the rock, but 1,013 yards in New England last season doesn’t grow on trees. Some team needs that production, suggesting Diggs won’t be a free agent for long.
Now What? Where Will He Go?
Speaking of Diggs’s rejuvenated free agency, the following list represents WR-needy teams after the draft, or at least spots where Diggs could flourish:
- Baltimore Ravens
- Buffalo Bills
- Dallas Cowboys
- Indianapolis Colts
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Miami Dolphins
- New England Patriots
- New Orleans Saints
- Washington Commanders
The Patriots are likely the top landing spot — because why not run it back?
FantasyLife‘s Joe Metz made the case for Diggs to the Raiders this week, noting, “As things stand, not a single wideout on the Raiders projects for more than 75 targets in our fantasy football projections, with the WR room carrying a total target projection of 239 targets across five receivers and tight end Brock Bowers leading the team with a 124-target projection.”
“That simply will not cut it if you want to set your No. 1 pick up for success. While Fernando Mendoza may not start the season as QB1 (projected for 13 starts), he’ll certainly finish the season as such.”
The Raiders arguably have the single-worst wide receiving corps in the business at the moment.
Metz added, “In the interim, the fact that Kirk Cousins is slated to serve as the bridge QB sets up well for Diggs, as the two played together in Minnesota from 2018-19, when Diggs posted back-to-back seasons of 1,000-plus yards, an average of 121.5 targets and 15 total touchdowns.”
“Diggs would immediately step into a WR1 role with a quarterback he has familiarity with, which could provide him with WR3 value in fantasy football and potential sell-high upside if he starts hot.”
How about the Vikings?
Meanwhile, the Vikings cannot be ruled out of the Diggs sweepstakes. He, of course, began his career in Minnesota, and as he winds down his playing days, bookend stops in the Twin Cities might feel poetic. Diggs is also friends with Justin Jefferson, and Jefferson would not object to Diggs as his running mate this season.
What’s more, Minnesota needs a WR3 after letting Jalen Nailor dip in free agency. It recently met with Jauan Jennings, but no contract has materialized. In theory, the Vikings could dangle a one-year contract worth $12 million or so and hope Diggs accepts.
Diggs is a rowdy fellow, but most fans wouldn’t mind a reunion.
He’ll turn 33 in late November.
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