Stefon Diggs became the latest player to secure a long-term deal this summer as the wide receiver agreed to a five-year extension with the Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday.
For Minnesota, the deal locks up Diggs through the 2023 season, giving the team the comfort that one of their top playmakers will be in the fold for the foreseeable future.
For Diggs, it’s a significant payday for a player who was in line to earn just $1.9 million on the final year of his rookie deal for 2018.
The extension is worth around $14 million per season, according to the Star Tribune, which would put Diggs’ contract in the same region as Chicago Bears receiver Allen Robinson (three years, $42m) and Green Bay Packers wideout Davante Adams (four years, $58m).
That would mean Diggs is somewhere around 10th on the list of highest-paid wide receivers annually, with Pittsburgh Steelers star Antonio Brown leading the way at $17m per season.
Stefon Diggs is the best receiver in the NFL on contested targets. pic.twitter.com/3u7gsn78Dl
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) July 8, 2018
Diggs will forever be entrenched in Vikings lore after being on the receiving end of the ‘Minneapolis Miracle’ in January, when Minnesota pulled off a jaw-dropping comeback in the final seconds as Case Keenum connected with the wideout for a 61-yard catch-and-run score.
By handing Diggs a rich extension right now, however, the Vikings have put themselves in a position where they’ll have to make a tough call on fellow receiver Adam Thielen.
Though Thielen – who out-produced Diggs with 91 receptions, 1,276 yards and four touchdowns last season – is still under contract for three more seasons, he’s making just $4.8m annually. It’s possible he looks to rework his deal over the next year so it aligns closer to what his value is.
For the coming season at least, the Vikings have one of the most talented rosters in the league and should once again be serious Super Bowl contenders.
