Could Stefon Diggs Be Traded to the Patriots? The Stars May Be Aligning

It's a long shot, but the possibility nevertheless exists for Stefon Diggs to be traded to the Patriots.

Let's just get this out of the way first - the odds of Stefon Diggs being traded to the New England Patriots are very slim. But the opportunity for that to happen is a bit stronger than it was on Monday. Here's why:

The Minnesota Vikings receiver grabbed everyone's attention on Tuesday when he deleted all Vikings content from his Instagram page. That's telling of, at the very least, his displeasure with his situation right now in Minnesota. 

But this isn't the first time Diggs has shown frustration over the past several months with the organization that drafted him back in 2015. 

With the Vikings' offense giving a heavy dose of Dalvin Cook out of the backfield during the 2019 season, that meant less targets for Diggs and fellow wideout Adam Thielen. Even though Diggs had his lowest target total since 2016 and his lowest catch total since 2015, it didn't stop him from having a career-high in receiving yards (1130). But the team's focus on the run game caused Diggs to catch just four balls on eight targets for 76 yards in two playoffs games this past season, causing an outburst of anger in their Wild-Card game against the Saints.

Now that he has once again shown his unhappiness with the organization, it has caused oddsmakers to release their odds of Diggs being with Minnesota in 2020, which, according to Sportsline, is unlikely to happen. 

Will Stefon Diggs be a member of the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1 of the 2020 season?

No -250
Yes +180

Via @SportsLine Oddsmakers

— SportsLine (@SportsLine) February 19, 2020

Diggs is entering the third year of a five-year, $72 million contract he signed with the Vikings back in 2018. He is on the books for a $14.5 million cap hit this season, and $15 million for 2021 and 2022. His $14.4 million annual salary ranks 13th amongst receivers in the NFL. Because of that, it's hard to imagine Minnesota has any desire to move on from their star-studded receiver given his age and contract. However, with Thielen signing a contract extension last year (four-year, $64.2 million) and the team seemingly relying on the run game as the centerpiece of their offense going forward, if Diggs continue to put up a stink, the chance does exist, albeit slim, for him to be traded.  

If that happens, expect New England to be one of the teams in play for him. It wouldn't be surprising at all if the Patriots haven't already called the Vikings' front-office to gauge the possibility of it happening. With a modest contract given his talent, and because of their limited cap space (they are projected to have $41 million to spend this offseason) and their desperate need for pass-catchers, trading for Diggs would be a great move for New England, whose chances of retaining Tom Brady get significantly better with Diggs in a Patriots uniform. 

It will surely be one of the many options New England explores between now and March 18, which is when their 42-year-old QB will hit free agency and begin to field offers from other franchises for his services. 

Other options in the trade market at receiver could be Odell Beckham Jr., Cooper Kupp or Robert Woods. The Patriots could also choose to sign a high-level free agent such as A.J. Green, Amari Cooper or Emmanuel Sanders. 

If there's one thing we know for sure, it's that the Patriots trading for Stefon Diggs would cause some of the biggest fireworks in the NFL this offseason. Outside of Tom Brady playing elsewhere, of course.