How The Stefon Diggs Trade Came Together In a Matter of Hours
The Vikings trading Stefon Diggs to the Bills wasn't something that had been worked on for weeks, or even days, ahead of its execution. As detailed by SI's Albert Breer in his Monday Morning Quarterback column, the trade came together in roughly six hours, and was sparked by Diggs's now-viral tweet about wanting a new beginning.
The six-word tweet, perhaps inspired by Kirk Cousins' extension, led a number of teams to reach out to the Vikings. The Bills had inquired about the availability of Diggs multiple times prior to the October trade deadline, but the Vikings made it clear that their star receiver was all but untouchable, even after fining him over $200,000 for skipping meetings and practice.
Bills GM Brandon Beane reached out a little over an hour after the tweet was posted. He was still searching for a No. 1 receiver, and this was quickly becoming the best option for acquiring one. There wasn't one available in free agency, and the top three receivers in this year's draft class weren't going to be there at the 22nd overall pick.
Here's Breer's explanation of how it all went down:
The Bills reached out to the Vikings around 4 p.m. ET, about an hour and 15 minutes after Diggs’s tweet. In the fall, Minnesota had given off the vibe that it would’ve taken two 1s, or maybe a 1 and a 2 to pry Diggs away. After a few calls, it was clear the Vikings—mostly because this wasn’t an in-season situation—had softened just a little on their stance.
After a few calls back and forth, the Vikings mentioned Percy Harvin as a model for the trade. In 2013, Minnesota got first-, third- and seventh-round picks from Seattle for Harvin. That was a little rich for the Bills’ blood, but they could get in the ballpark. In the 9 p.m. hour, the Vikings asked teams involved for their best offers. By then, the herd had been thinned.
The Patriots were one suitor, but events of the day caused their interest to cool. Franchising Joe Thuney put cap space at a premium for New England. And as Brady’s departure started to look more likely, trading for a veteran receiver made less sense.
At 9:45 p.m., the Bills called the Vikings back with the framework for what wound up being the deal.
Less than eight hours passed from the time of Diggs's tweet to the trade being announced, and it took only six hours from when the Bills first contacted the Vikings for the two sides to reach an agreement.
What made the deal easy is that it worked out quite well for both teams. The Bills got the No. 1 receiver they craved, someone who could beat press coverage and stretch the field for rocket-armed QB Josh Allen. The Vikings got extra draft capital to reload at receiver and cleared a bit of cap space, maximizing their return for a player who clearly wanted out.
Diggs spoke it into existence, talks escalated in a matter of hours, and the Vikings and Bills both came away happy.
