Stefon Diggs has addressed the media for the first time amid swirling rumors about his future at the Vikings and his reported dissatisfaction with the current setup.
Diggs’ visible unhappiness during the Bears loss on Sunday has led to rumors that he could be angling for a trade, with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reporting Thursday morning that even his own teammates are wondering if he wants to be in Minnesota.
The star receiver denied that he’d asked for a trade when interviewed by media Thursday, but said he wasn’t aware if his agent had requested one on his behalf however.
When asked by the Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson about if there’s any truth to the trade rumors, Diggs responded with a cryptic: “There’s truth to all rumors.”
Stefon Diggs when I asked him about trade rumors. “I feel there’s truth to all rumors no matter how dress you it up. I won’t be saying nothing on it. I won’t be speaking on it at all. But there is truth to all rumors, I guess.’’
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) October 3, 2019
And he admitted his frustrations with the way the offense is being run so far this season, saying: “I can’t sit up here and say everything is okay, it’s obviously not.
“What I can say at this point is just try to work through it.”
Diggs returned to practice on Thursday having missed out on Wednesday for what the Vikings called a “not injury related reason,” but on Thursday said he had a cold.
He said he “loves it” in Minnesota, but the question is “whether they want me here,” adding that he hopes “they let me play” this Sunday against the Giants.
Update 10:30 a.m.
The out-of-nowhere speculation surrounding Stefon Diggs continues to swirl Thursday morning, with NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport dropping a bomb that’ll do nothing but cause anxiety in Vikings Nation.
Per Rapoport, Vikings teammates are wondering if Diggs wants to be in Minnesota. But as ESPN’s Josina Anderson first reported on Wednesday, Rapoport notes that the Vikings have no intentions of trading him “barring some massive deal.”
On #Vikings WR Stefon Diggs: His frustration with the organization has been palpable. He was not at practice yesterday for non-injury reasons. Teammates are left wondering if he wants to be there. The team is adamant he is not available for a trade, barring some massive deal.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 3, 2019
A team that told me today they’d definitely be interested in Stefon Diggs said they were informed the #Vikings WR would not be traded. #SoTheresThat
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) October 3, 2019
Diggs didn’t practice with the Vikings on Wednesday, with the team saying nothing more than it was “not injury related.”
It remains to be seen if any of the Diggs speculation is legitimate, but the 25-year-old is in the first year of the $72 million extension he signed with the Vikings last year.
One team Diggs has been loosely connected to is the New England Patriots, but NBC Boston’s Tom Curran cited a source telling him that the Vikings have no plans to trade Diggs.
Any trade involving Diggs would need to work both money-wise and talent-wise, because the Vikings are a potential playoff team and trading Diggs would immediately worsen a passing attack that is arguably the worst in the NFL through four weeks.
Diggs has yet to address the rumor mill, but maybe that’ll change if he turns up at practice later Thursday.
My understanding is Stefon Diggs wasn’t in the building on Monday, either. As the Vikings continue preparation for the Giants, today is a key day to see if Diggs shows up, or if what sources have described as disenchantment with the organization continues to keep him away.
— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) October 3, 2019
