Buffalo Rumblings
Five years later, who won the trade between the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings?
It’s been five years since the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings completed a trade for enigmatic wide receiver Stefon Diggs. The Bills sent a package that included a first-round pick to Minneapolis in exchange for Diggs, and both sides probably have reason to believe the trade was a good one.
Let’s dive into the compensation and the return on investment:
The later-round pick numbers hadn’t been set at that time with compensatory picks still up in the air, but the main part of the deal was 22 overall.
The Vikings used pick 22 to select wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
The Vikings traded pick 155 for a fourth-rounder in 2021 with the Chicago Bears, which became pick 125 overall in 2021. They used that pick on safety Camryn Bynum.
Pick 201 was used in another trade package with the Baltimore Ravens. The Vikings sent 201 and 219 to Baltimore and received pick 225 and a 2021 fifth-round from Baltimore that was originally Pittsburgh’s pick. At 225, Minnesota picked DE Kenny Willekes and the 2021 pick ended up being 168th overall, and they selected TE Zach Davidson.
With their selection from the trade, the Bills drafted cornerback Dane Jackson.
The Bills ended up with two starters from the Stefon Diggs trade, including Diggs. Let’s take a loser look.
Diggs really elevated the Bills from a playoff team to a perennial contender in the AFC, and helped take a team without much playoff experience to the next level. His intensity and experience was desperately needed, not to mention his actual stats.
Diggs had two years left on his deal when he was traded and signed two contract extensions with the Bills while in Buffalo. Ultimately, he made $78.9 million in his four seasons with the Bills.
On the field, he caught 445 passes for 5372 yards and 37 touchdowns averaging 81.4 yards per game and topping 1180 yards in every season. He played in nine Bills playoff games, too, with 47 receptions for 600 yards and two touchdowns.
The accolades rolled in, too. He was named to the Pro Bowl in every season with the Bills, first-team All-Pro in 2020 and second-team All-Pro in 2022.
The Bills sent Diggs to the Houston Texans during the 2024 offseason for a trade package that included a second-round pick, so...
