If the Vikings trade Stefon Diggs, these teams are at the top of the list

As speculation swirls, these five teams could make a trade for Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs.

The Minnesota Vikings have clearly had a formula to win this season. In two wins, Kirk Cousins has averaged 15.5 pass attempts per game. In two losses, he has averaged 34 attempts per game. Somewhere in the middle on a regular basis would be nice, especially with Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs in place as two of the best and well-compensated wide receivers in the league

Diggs is coming off his best game of the season against the Chicago Bears in Week 4, with seven catches for 108 yards (five catches for 91 yards in the second half), which bested his production from the first three games combined (six receptions for 101 yards). While Thielen spoke candidly about the lack of passing game firepower after last Sunday’s loss, Diggs has notably gone silent with the media and as is typical in this day and age his social media activity has drawn attention.

https://twitter.com/BrycenNFL/status/1178821623484440576?s=20

Then on Wednesday, Diggs did not practice.

It’s entirely possible the Vikings just gave Diggs a rest day, and didn’t report a specific injury because their isn’t one. It’s also possible it was an excused absence, due to some sort of personal matter. But those attempts at explanation won’t quell any trade speculation, and if the team offers no explanation for his absence the speculation will go unchecked.

As expected, the Vikings have let it out that they have no plans to trade Diggs.

But as Pro Football Talk reminds us, Vikings general manager Rick Spielman was adamant he had “no intent” to trade mercurial wide receiver Percy Harvin at the 2013 NFL Combine. On March 11, 2013, Harvin was sent to the Seattle Seahawks for three draft picks. So anything that is said regarding trading Diggs has to be viewed with healthy skepticism.

If you had to pick a Viking who would be frustrated if the situation went off the rails (or by the quarterback’s shortcomings, more specifically), Diggs would be at the top of the list. Speculation is not going away, even though Diggs is in the first year of a five-year, $72 million contract, and these five teams could make a trade for him.

5. New England Patriots

With Tom Brady’s apparent frustration with the decision to cut Antonio Brown, which owner Robert Kraft reportedly made over everyone else, it’s easy to tie the Patriots to any wide receiver who may be available.

The biggest factor working against New England getting Diggs is financial. They are carrying just over $1.5 million in cap space right now. So they’d have to restructure some contracts, and probably send a player back to Minnesota to make the money work. Even then, it might be tough to get there.

But never say never, so the Patriots have to be on this list.