Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman said earlier this month that the team didn’t intend to trade wide receiver Stefon Diggs this offseason, but that the offer from the Bills was too good for them to pass up.
Head coach Mike Zimmer sent the same message during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show this week. Zimmer cited the draft picks the team got from Buffalo and the salary cap relief provided by the deal as reasons why it made sense for the team.
Zimmer also referenced tweets Diggs sent about a desire to head elsewhere and other moments when it seemed Diggs was less than thrilled about life with the Vikings. Zimmer said Diggs was like all receivers in terms of wanting the ball, but called the wideout a hard worker and said he wasn’t overly difficult to deal with.
“If you said somebody was a pain in the butt, you probably wouldn’t say him,” Zimmer said. “I’ve been around way worse guys than him, and I hope he has a great career and finishes up strong.”
The Vikings selected wide receiver Justin Jefferson with the first-round pick they acquired for Diggs and his development will go a long way toward framing how the trade ultimately plays out for Minnesota.