Vikings Linked to Famous Old Friend in Free Agency
Stefon Diggs hasn’t played for the Minnesota Vikings since the 2019 season, so a seven-year gap, but he could evidently bring his career full circle if CBS Sports has it right.
Diggs is back in the rumor mill, and Minnesota has a clear reason to pay attention.
Garrett Podell sized up the top remaining free agents on the open market last week, and on Diggs, the Vikings were mentioned as the best landing spot.
Minnesota’s WR3 Search Has a Familiar Twist
Would you support a Diggs reunion at the WR3 spot?
CBS Sports: Vikings Are the Best Landing Spot for Diggs
It’s the Diggs portion of the Vikings’ offseason, which was probably inevitable the moment Diggs left New England and WR3 became a roster need for Minnesota.
Podell wrote late last week, “Diggs’ legal trouble is likely why he remains available. He pleaded not guilty to felony strangulation and other criminal charges following an alleged assault of his personal chef. Diggs’ attorney, Mitchell Schuster, claims his client is ‘completely innocent.'”
“If Diggs’ legal process is resolved, a homecoming to the Minnesota Vikings makes plenty of sense. Jalen Nailor departed for the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency, so there’s an opening at Minnesota’s WR3 spot after 2022 NFL Offensive Player of the Year Justin Jefferson and former first-round pick Jordan Addison.”
Diggs was famously the co-architect of the Minneapolis Miracle in 2017.
Podell added, “Kevin O’Connell wasn’t the coach in Minnesota when Diggs departed to the Buffalo Bills via a 2020 trade request, and he needs to get Minnesota back to the playoffs in 2026 after a disastrous 2025 with J.J. McCarthy at quarterback. Providing Kyler Murray with three high-caliber wideouts would certainly be helpful toward that cause.”
“Plus, Diggs wouldn’t have to work as hard to get open as he ages playing alongside Jefferson and company. Ideal landing spot: Minnesota Vikings.”
The Need for a WR3
Without Nailor, the Vikings have three options at WR3, the spot Nailor held in 2024 and 2025. Foremost, they can promote Tai Felton, a rookie from 2025 who hardly saw the field on offense. The plan all along may have been to red-shirt the speedster in Year No. 1 and let it rip in 2026. It would explain letting Nailor leave.
Second, the Vikings could draft another wide receiver. Interim general manager Rob Brzezinski has nine picks this month, with four in the Top 100. Plenty of wideouts will be available from Rounds 1 through 4, some even ready to plug-and-play as a WR3 in 2026.
Finally, there’s free agency, and that’s where Diggs enters chat. Minnesota could sign Diggs for a year or two — or explore a different free agent like DeAndre Hopkins, Deebo Samuel, or Tyreek Hill. All are waiting for a phone call. Brandon Aiyuk might even be available by summer.
Would the Wilfs Green-Light It?
Diggs left Minnesota under a cloud of controversy, skipping practice in 2019 and getting fined a whopping $200,000. He stuck around that season as a favor to former general manager Rick Spielman, as the two agreed on an off-ramp via trade in the 2020 offseason. Spielman lived up to his word, trading Diggs to Buffalo and using the draft pick from that deal to secure Justin Jefferson a month later. A Spielman masterclass.
It is unclear if the Vikings’ owners, the Wilfs, are chomping at the bit to have Diggs back in the mix. He must resolve the very troubling strangulating allegations that emerged a couple of months ago, though he claims total innocence.
The 2025 Production
In his first season with New England, Diggs tallied 85 receptions for 1,013 yards and 4 touchdowns. Starting in every game, he quickly became Drake Maye’s primary target, a remarkable feat after Diggs’s torn ACL in 2024.
Retaining Diggs should have been an obvious choice, assuming no off-field concerns existed. Doing so would have allowed the Patriots to develop a rookie wide receiver alongside him using a 1st- or 2nd-Round pick, a common strategy when veteran receiver options are limited.
Among wide receivers in 2025 with at least 50 routes, Diggs ranked eighth in total EPA (expected points added), a statistic that measures a player’s impact on scoring. Players with that kind of game-changing ability are invaluable, even at age 32.
The draft is 15 days away, and if Minnesota doesn’t leave the event with a new wide receiver before the end of Round 4 or so, Diggs and his free-agent pals will take center stage in the Vikings’ rumor mill. Or — it’ll be the Felton show at WR3.
Diggs will turn 33 in November. The upcoming season will be his 12th in the pros.
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