Vikings front office gets slammed by Stephen A. Smith for not valuing Stefon Diggs - “Need to be drug tested”
Before he was Josh Allen's primary target, Stefon Diggs played for the Minnesota Vikings.
He and Adam Thielen soon formed an effective wide receiver tandem, with the biggest highlight of their time being the 'Minneapolis Miracle', a game-winning touchdown pass to Diggs during the 2017-18 Divisional Round against the New Orleans Saints.
But beneath all their success together was tension, which Stephen A. Smith alluded to when discussing Diggs' situation in Buffalo on 'First Take':
"I'm a Stefon Diggs fan, brothers big time. I thought that I was appalled. As much as I like Adam Thielen as a person, I was appalled that when he was in Minnesota, they tried to act like Adam Thielen was more valuable than Stefon Diggs.
"I know, what the hell? I thought all the executives needed to be drug tested."
.@stephenasmith doesn't believe "all is well" between Stefon Diggs and Josh Allen: pic.twitter.com/YhfQjU9PcT
What Smith is referring to here is the Vikings' actions during the 2018 offseason. Diggs received a five-year extension worth $72 million and in the following year, Thielen joined him with a four-year, $64 million extension of his own.
Faced with two very expensive wideouts, the team elected to trade the former to the Buffalo Bills in 2020, then draft Justin Jefferson to pair with the latter.
However, their fates could not have been more different: Diggs became an All-Pro and Pro Bowler in Buffalo, while Thielen was quickly overshadowed by Jefferson in Minnesota and subsequently released, joining the rebuilding Carolina Panthers.
Stephen A. Smith thinks there is still tension between Stefon Diggs and Josh Allen
Now heading into his fourth season in Buffalo, Stefon Diggs has, for the second time in his career, been seemingly unhappy again. His purported feud with quarterback Josh Allen has been well-publicized, to the point that the QB had to attempt to downplay the situation on a podcast.
One person who thinks the tension still exists, however, is none other than Stephen A. Smith himself. On the same show, he said:
"My problem with Stefon Diggs is this: Josh Allen is a stud. You look at Stefon Diggs - 108 receptions, 1,429 yards last year. You look at his career in Buffalo and what he's been doing (ever) since he's been there with Josh Allen, it speaks for itself. And the second things went awry, you acted up.
"And I'm not saying it wasn't justified, but the fact that it became so public, and then it came into training camp - where he didn't show up the first day, and then [head coach Sean] McDermott said there were some concerns, even though it's been alleviated, the level of frustration that he showed, it wasn't like Josh Allen snuck up to join on purpose.
"And to be that flagrant with your disgust... is what concerns me."
Some good news for Buffalo fans, however, is that Diggs is back in training camp, and he and coach Sean McDermott are seemingly getting along just fine.
It will be interesting to see if Diggs, Allen and co. can lead the Bills to the Super Bowl next season.