Could the Ravens make a play for WR Stefon Diggs?

Stefon Diggs and the Vikings have had a complicated relationship over the past couple seasons, but it appears the two sides are officially headed towards a parting of ways.

Yesterday, reports surfaced that Minnesota is looking to move on from the talented wideout and promptly later in the day, Diggs appeared to delete all Vikings-related content from his social media pages. Diggs is no stranger to cryptic activity on social media but the timing in this instance is, to say the least, peculiar.

Diggs signed a five-year contract extension with the Vikings in 2018 worth up to $81 million, including $40 million in guaranteed money. It’s a hefty price tag but his production certainly speaks for itself.

Although he’s yet to make a Pro Bowl or All-Pro team, Diggs has posted over 1,000 receiving yards and 15 combined touchdown receptions over the past two seasons. Since entering the league in 2015, he’s caught no less than 52 receptions and recorded at least 720 receiving yards in a season. He’s failed to play all 16 games in any campaign but has never missed more three games, either.

In 2018, Diggs caught a career-high 102 receptions on 149 targets, although his 10.0 YPC indicate he was used more as a possession receiver than downfield threat. This past season, though, Diggs turned 62 catches into a career-high 1,130 receiving yards, good for 17.9 YPC. Diggs and Adam Thielen have been one of, if not the league’s top duo at the wide receiver position during this span.

It’s worth noting, also, that Diggs has fifth-most touchdowns (23) in the NFL since 2017, trailing only Deandre Hopkins, Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill and Antonio Brown.

Now, presuming he is in fact available on the trade market, Diggs instantly becomes a high commodity for teams in need of an offensive playmaker. Could the Ravens come calling? It’d be an uncharacteristic move given the franchise’s history but new GM Eric DeCosta demonstrated this past season that he’s not afraid to take risks and think outside the box.

The idea has already begun getting floated around on Twitter, in large part due to the geographical connection. Diggs grew up and played high school football in Maryland before attending the University of Maryland, where his career took off.

At just 26 years of age, Diggs is in the prime of his career and plays a premier position. Therefore, the Vikings would surely demand a high price tag for him in any potential trade, although it appears Diggs could attempt to force his way out if the situation between the two sides continues to deteriorate.

Nevertheless, the thought of the Ravens making a play for Diggs is an interesting one.

Wide receiver is, at least on paper, one of the team’s larger offseason needs. The presuming notion was that they would look to bolster their receiving core in free agency and/or in the draft, but that was before a player of Diggs caliber became available (potentially) on the trade market.

Diggs would give the team a much-needed playmaker on the outside alongside the likes of Marquise Brown, Miles Boykin and Willie Snead IV, and he’d add an explosive element to the league’s No. 1 scoring offense in 2019.

For now, this all merely speculation. We’ll be sure to keep you updated if rumors begin to heat up at all, so stay tuned for that. In the meantime, vote on the poll below and share your thoughts in the comments!