Stefon Diggs admits Adam Thielen was the reason why he left the Vikings
Stefon Diggs left Minnesota as he wanted to be the WR1 on a different team.
Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen (Image via Open Source)
The 2020 trade which sent Stefon Diggs to the Buffalo Bills from the Minnesota Vikings was suspected to be due to the wideout’s frustration with Kirk Cousins and the team’s shortcomings in competing for the Super Bowl. However, the reason Diggs wanted out is a different one altogether.
Stefon Diggs revealed via the NFL Digest podcast that he wanted out of Minnesota for an entirely different reason. It was due to the presence of Adam Thielen alongside him. The 2015 fifth-round pick believed he could not live up to his full potential in an environment wherein he was not the proverbial ‘top dog.’
Despite the Vikings relying upon Diggs to play a vital part in the offense, he was not the WR1 in Minnesota.
It was like they treated me like a number one but then at times, like they played me small. So was kind of a little bit of a mind game as well being young and just being there I felt rejoiced because I was like…I need to take my own life into my own hands and it was rolling the dice. This ain’t boxing I’m not just by myself there’s a whole team, this s*** could go sour real quick when I wanted...
Stefon Diggs via the NFL Digest podcast
Despite being drafted just a year later than Thielen, Diggs felt that the team would give him a preference when it came to making key plays. This did not sit well with him.
Stefon Diggs has had four back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons since he departed from Minnesota
Diggs wanted to go to a different environment where he would feel more appreciated and harbor more responsibility, so he asked to be traded.
When I wanted to get out of there I was like it’s time for a new beginning, that was me betting on myself. It’s odd people don’t even know.
Stefon Diggs added
Although his hope of making it to a Super Bowl is yet to come to fruition, Stefon Diggs did get the opportunity to have a bigger impact on the offense in Buffalo.
In his first season with the Bills, he had a career-best 1,535 yards and 8 touchdowns. In subsequent years, he continued to play consistently. He had two 1,000-yard seasons with the Vikings but in all four of his seasons with the Bills, the lowest yards he had on receiving was 1,183 in the 2023 season.
Former @Vikings WR Stefon Diggs reveals the truth on why he left Minnesota 👀
— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) October 1, 2024
Diggs left because he didn’t want to be WR2 behind Adam Thielen.
“I love [Thielen] to death. I love seeing him have success, but for me, I knew I wasn’t going for it.”
🎥: NFL.Digest / IG pic.twitter.com/IqvjRxZn6d
Does this mean that Stefon Diggs’ relationship with Adam Thielen is strained? No.
That is my bro. I ain’t no hater. I love both to death. I’m saying like I would love seeing them have success but I just knew for me I wasn’t going forward like…I love what I got going on but this isn’t necessarily the best situation for me and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Stefon Diggs on Adam Thielen
To this day, Diggs appreciates and respects Adam Thielen. He wants the best for him and loves to watch him succeed but at the same time, the wideout knew the Vikings situation was not right for him.
Stefon Diggs then gave an example of how teams in the NFL prioritize their interests over those of players and compared his decision to depart from Minnesota to the same. Ultimately, he made a bet on himself, and in terms of numbers, it was a smart one to make. Although from a mental health standpoint, Diggs struggled in Buffalo, but he did establish himself as one of the more consistent receivers in the NFL.
Sumedh Joshi
(1945 Articles Published)