Stefon Diggs and Justin Jefferson, pieces of the same trade, finally meet on the field

On Jan. 14, 2018, Justin Jefferson was an 18-year-old receiver at LSU who'd finished his freshman season 13 days earlier without a catch. That Sunday, he was among the Louisianans who turned off their TVs recoiling from the acrobatic act that kept their Saints from having a shot at the Super Bowl.

"I remember being very, very upset that happened," Jefferson said. "It was a win for the Saints — and that happened."

Two and a half years after that "Minneapolis Miracle" happened, Jefferson began his rookie training camp as the Vikings' top draft pick, tasked with learning their offense after the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out offseason practices and charged with replacing the receiver who'd become a Minnesota hero after his unforgettable play against the Saints.

"It was on my mind a lot, for sure," Jefferson said. "I knew I was gonna have to come in and fill his spot — a big spot at that. It was no ifs, ands or buts that they drafted me as a replacement for Diggs.

"We're doing great, just on our separate teams, and we're definitely rooting for each other."

Jefferson and Stefon Diggs will share a field for the first time on Sunday at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., as two of the NFL's most prolific receivers and the offensive centerpieces of contending teams. They will be forever linked by a trade that, almost three years later, is one both sides were glad they made.

The Vikings sent Diggs to Buffalo for four draft picks in March 2020, ending nearly a year of internal strife over the receiver's disenchantment with their offense. The top choice they received in the deal — the 22nd pick in the 2020 draft — became Jefferson, after the Eagles' selection of Jalen Reagor left the Vikings laughing in disbelief that the LSU product would still be available to them.

The Bills (6-2) reached the AFC Championship game in 2020 and the divisional playoffs in 2021; the Vikings, after missing the playoffs the first two years of Jefferson's career, have a 7-1 record and a 4½-game lead in the NFC North.

Diggs and Jefferson admire each another from afar, briefly crossing paths during offseason workouts at House of Athlete in Miami. Adam Thielen, the veteran receiver who's become the link between the two, remains close with Diggs and still texts him regularly; he smiles at the fact Diggs has become a team captain in Buffalo, and at the 23-year-old Jefferson's maturity.

"It's tough, because you hate losing a guy like Diggs, especially with our relationship," Thielen said. "And then he leaves, Justin comes in and it was a very similar relationship. Very similar player. He's got a ton of potential, obviously, and has proved that day in and day out. It was kind of an interesting transition, but I'm thankful I've played with both of those guys, and have a ton of love and respect for both of them."

The Vikings have changed coaching staffs and reconfigured their roster since Diggs played for them, a fact that likely takes some of the heat out of Sunday's matchup for him. He probably knows Vikings receivers coach Keenan McCardell — his position coach in college — better than most of the team's current staff. Harrison Smith, Danielle Hunter and Eric Kendricks are the Vikings' only defensive starters remaining from Diggs' time in Minnesota.

"I try not to live in a space of 'former rival' or 'the old team' because that's far removed. That was like three years ago," Diggs said in a Wednesday news conference. "I'm kind of living in a new space with where I'm at in my life, as well. I got traded years ago. Of course it was something that came full circle. But I try not to take it too personal. It's not a personal fight for me. My life have changed a lot since then. A lot of great things have happened."

The rivalry, at this point, seems more about friendly one-upmanship than lingering resentment.

"I just think he's a hell of a player — definitely one of the best receivers in this league," Diggs said of Jefferson. "What he has done and accomplished in such a short amount of time shows you he's a special player. It's hard not to pay attention to him."

'It just didn't work out'

The Vikings' new team headquarters in Eagan opened less than two months after the "Minneapolis Miracle," with a floor-to-ceiling photo of the moment in the team museum and another one at the entrance to the media center.

General manager Rick Spielman had grown fond of opening training camp with news of a contract extension for a Vikings draft pick; Spielman gave Diggs a warm embrace after turning the podium over to him on July 31, 2018, to discuss his new five-year, $72 million deal.

Zimmer replaced DeFilippo with Kevin Stefanski, who got the full-time job after the season and brought in Gary Kubiak to reconfigure the scheme around outside zone runs and play action. By the end of the Vikings' offseason program in 2019, sources said at the time, Diggs was looking for an exit.

He skipped two days of team meetings and practices after a 16-6 loss to Chicago that season, earning more than $200,000 in fines and returning for a perplexing news conference where he feigned illness and said, "There's truth to all rumors" when asked if he was unhappy in Minnesota.

Spielman tried to downplay the notion of Diggs' discontent while the Vikings rebuffed trade offers, and as Thielen battled a lingering hamstring injury, Diggs thrived on deep shots off play action, catching 63 passes for 1,130 yards on a team that reached the second round of the playoffs.

"I remember thinking, 'I'm so glad Stefon is still here,' because Adam had pulled his hammy, and [if] he was already on another team, we were gonna be in trouble," Cousins said. "He really carried us for that stretch of games."

Cousins said last week that Diggs told him in 2019 his discontent "has nothing to do with you," but it was no secret among players the receiver wanted out. On March 16, 2020, the Vikings signed Cousins to a new contract, effectively signifying they would continue with their offensive system after the Browns hired Stefanski and Kubiak became offensive coordinator. Diggs tweeted hours later, "It's time for a new beginning," and the Vikings accepted the Bills' four-pick package for Diggs late that same night.

"My time in Minnesota was amazing. I had a great time in Minnesota; I don't have any bad taste in my mouth at all," Diggs told reporters in Buffalo this week. "There were some great people, great players, great coaches. It just didn't work out. Everybody here can attest to that; that's just how life works sometimes. But I feel like this was part of the plan God had for me."

'Haven't stopped yet'

The lack of offseason workouts and preseason games in 2020 led the Vikings to award playing time to Jefferson slowly at the start of his rookie year. He didn't start either of the first two games, playing a combined 75 snaps in losses to the Packers and Colts.

This week, though, both Jefferson and Cousins remembered the exact moment things clicked.

"Week 3 against the Titans when I threw him that go ball on third down," Cousins said. "I underthrew it a little bit, he went up and got it, and the rest of that Titans game, I think he showed his ability, and we kind of felt like, 'OK, we might have an extra receiver here.' So it worked out for everybody involved."

This year, with Kevin O'Connell featuring Jefferson and Cousins trusting him to make contested catches like the one he had over Benjamin St-Juste for a touchdown last week, Jefferson is on pace to break Moss' record on New Year's Day against the Packers.

"I knew out there that I was gonna have to fill out a spot," Jefferson said. "I knew I was gonna have to be a playmaker, and it just so happened that the third game of the season I started off and haven't stopped yet."

He will chase his fifth 100-yard performance in six games on Sunday; Diggs is looking for his fourth in five. A trade borne out of discontentment has become one that, almost three years later, still has everyone happy.

"I got to talk to him more after [the Vikings and Bills] traded and got to really know each other," Jefferson said. "I definitely love him as a person, and I respect his game and only want the best for him."

****

Since Diggs was traded to Buffalo in 2020 and Jefferson was drafted in the first round by the Vikings to replace him, they have both been among the top receivers in the NFL. (* = league leader)

2020
Diggs: 127 receptions*, 1,535 yards*, 8 TDs
Jefferson: 88 receptions, 1,400 yards, 7 TDs

2021
Diggs: 103 receptions, 1,225 yards, 10 TDs
Jefferson: 108 receptions, 1,616 yards, 10 TDs

2022
Diggs: 60 receptions, 857 yards, 7 TDs*
Jefferson: 59 receptions, 867 yards, 3 TDs