Stefon Diggs Says He Never Voiced Complaints to Vikings Ahead of Bills Trade

Scott Polacek @@ScottPolacekFeatured ColumnistAugust 5, 2020

FILE - In this Jan. 5, 2020, file photo, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs (14) reacts in overtime of an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the New Orleans Saints in New Orleans. The Vikings won 26-20. Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane made a bold move in the offseason by giving up four draft picks _ including the 22nd overall _ to acquire Stefon Diggs in a trade with the Minnesota Vikings. The Bills are left with seven picks over the final six rounds, starting with No. 54. (AP Photo/Brett Duke, File)

Brett Duke/Associated Press

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs said he never publicly complained about the Minnesota Vikings before the NFC North team traded him to his current squad.

"As far as my past with Minnesota, I never actually said anything," he said Wednesday, per Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN. "But, to this new situation, I'm excited. There is no right or wrong or problems to be fixed from my old situation. I have a lot of respect for the Minnesota Vikings. At that time, a trade happened—you've kind of got to look at it for what it is. But I never really was vocal about what I did or didn't like [in Minnesota]."

While Diggs insisted he didn't vocalize any unhappiness with the Vikings, Louis-Jacques noted the team fined him more than $200,000 in 2019 for unexcused absences from practices and meetings.

What's more, he was rather cryptic on social media following a 2-2 start:

DIGGS @stefondiggs
😶

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Minnesota did not trade him during the 2019 campaign, but he tweeted "it's time for a new beginning" in March after the team signed quarterback Kirk Cousins to an extension:

DIGGS @stefondiggs
it’s time for a new beginning.

"I never really was too vocal about it," Diggs said even though he referenced the tweet Wednesday. "'It's time for a new beginning' was enough said. I am super excited for my new situation. This is also a great organization built on a lot of hardworking guys. A lot of guys that really grinded to get to where they're at."

The Vikings traded Diggs and a seventh-round pick to the Bills for a first-round pick, fifth-round pick, sixth-round pick and 2021 fourth-round pick in March.

Minnesota's loss is Buffalo's gain as the Bills made the playoffs last season but have not won a postseason contest since the 1995 season. Having a vertical threat like Diggs can help open up the offense and change that after John Brown was the only player to finish the 2019 campaign with more than 800 receiving yards.

Diggs is coming off two straight 1,000-yard seasons and gives Buffalo a game-changing playmaker as it attempts to seize control of the AFC East with Tom Brady no longer on the New England Patriots.