Internally, the Patriots have sounded hopeful they could pry away Stefon Diggs from the Vikings, though that still has the appearance of an overly lofty goal. Diggs just signed a five-year, $72 million contract extension through 2024 and is one of the most talented players on a 3-2 team only two years removed from the NFC Championship game. There’s even been speculation coach Mike Zimmer could be on the hot seat without a playoff push, so it’d be a hard sell to weaken his roster in order to boost future draft capital, potentially for a future regime.
At least publicly, Diggs has played nice since voicing his frustrations last week over the Vikings’ lack of winning. But that won’t prevent teams like the Patriots from calling — over and over again. When sharks smell blood in the water, they show their teeth.
Diggs would almost certainly command a first-round pick. Since his game suits the Patriots better than Brandin Cooks’ style a couple seasons ago, the Pats may very well be willing to surrender one for his services, as they did for Cooks. But the Patriots also may not be the only ones willing to pay that price, and their first-round picks tend to reside in the 30s. If a fringe playoff team offers a first-rounder that could fall in the Nos. 16-24 range, the Patriots would likely have to at least counter by adding a third-rounder.
That’s hardly the only hurdle. The Patriots only have about $3 million in cap space, but they could extend the pacts for quarterback Tom Brady, safety Devin McCourty and linebacker Dont’a Hightower to create more room. A more unconventional move could involve trading defensive end Michael Bennett, considering their wild amount of depth in the front seven.