Former Vikings linebacker and current Vikings radio analyst was asked point blank if apparently disgruntled wide receiver Stefon Diggs will be on the Vikings roster in 2020.
“No, I don’t think he is,” Leber told CBS Sports Radio’s Zach Gelb on Wednesday.
Leber said it doesn’t take a genius to figure out Diggs — who posted career highs with 1,130 receiving yards, 17.9 yards per catch, and 75 yards per game this past season — is unhappy based off his Twitter posts and taking mentions of the Minnesota Vikings off his social media.
“I’ve heard some people say, ‘Tweets are just tweets. It’s not that big of a deal. It’s Stefon just trying to stay relevant. He just wants a little attention in the offseason.’”
Leber, who played for the Vikings from 2006 to 2010, doesn’t see it that way at all.
“I look at it and say, no, he’s unhappy,” Leber said. “This is all very purposeful for him. This is all very constructed. He knows what he’s doing. He didn’t just innocently delete all of his Vikings stuff off Instagram. He’s unhappy, and he’s trying to create some leverage for himself and let teams know that he can be moved.”
General manager Rick Spielman on Tuesday said, “There’s no reason to anticipate that Stefon Diggs won’t be a Minnesota Viking,” adding, “He had probably his most productive year. He’s a young receiever we just extended. And he’s not only a major part of our offense and a major part of our organization in winning games, but he’s also does a lot of things for this organization off the field, as well.”
Leber said that’s just the Vikings “playing it the right way. You’ve got to act like you’re going to covet the guy, that you’re going to keep him. That way you can get the best possible deal for him.”
Diggs is talented, no doubt, but there are benefits to dealing him.
“If he’s a guy that is disgruntled and you can get him off your team and save some cap room and get some money back for a team that has very little cap space, it could be a win-win situation for the Vikings,” Leber said.
Diggs would not deny he wanted to be traded in October when he returned from a two-day absence from team activities, for which he was fined $200,000. His animated frustration and occasional outbursts on the sidelines have been a part of his repuatation in Minnesota.
As undeniably one of the top 5 downfield threat wideouts, perhaps Diggs feels like he is not as much a part of an offense as he should be. Under offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski, the Vikings threw the third-fewest passes in the NFL in 2019 and quarterback Kirk Cousins targeted Diggs 45 fewer times than in 2018, when the offense was under the guidance of John DiFillippo.
Gary Kubiak ascended to OC in the offseason, and the offense will have the same scheme and philosophy as 2019.
Hear Ben Leber with KWSN’s “Sports Talk with Craig & John” on Friday. The show airs from 3-6 p.m.
