Seahawks should trade for Stefon Diggs and Everson Griffen

Russell Wilson is adamant that he wants the Seahawks to pursue as many weapons as possible. Maybe a trade for Stefon Diggs would be nice, plus his teammate.

The Stefon Diggs situation has been brewing for months but that shouldn’t keep the Seahawks from trading for him. Mid-season, Diggs called out his quarterback, Kirk Cousins, for his poor play and the coach for not including him in the game plan. From that moment on, Diggs became a focal point on the offensive side of the ball. He accumulated 1,130 yards, and 6 touchdowns on 63 receptions. However, the frustration that he had toward the team never left, despite the increased production.

Since the season ended, Diggs has been posting a handful of cryptic tweets. A few examples:

While much can be taken from these, one thing is clear. He has deleted all information online connecting him to the Vikings organization. It appears he is ready for a fresh start.

So one may ask, why would the Vikings entertain trading away one of the best receivers in the game? This would be especially true considering he is on a modest deal, and under contract through the 2023 season. The answer is simple, the Vikings are in a cap space nightmare. They are currently $12 million over the cap. The team has one frustrated player who wants out and a lot of tough decisions to make before the start of the 2020 season to get their financial right.

There aren’t many easy outs to clear the space. All their cap space is tied to viable starters. They could release/trade Everson Griffen and save $12.8 against the cap; however, Griffin is a highly effective pass rusher and had 8 sacks and a pressure rate of 11.7% last season. The team will likely cut Xavier Rhodes, this will create $8 million in cap space. All the other options are cutting some of the best respective players at their positions for minimal savings. Think Danielle Hunter, Linval Joseph, Harrison Smith, Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks. There a lot of Pro Bowlers in this list.

This is where the Seahawks swoop in to save the day. If Diggs were to be traded, the Vikings would save $5.5 million against the cap. Diggs has been good friends with Russell Wilson for years. When a fan asked how good Russell Wilson is on a scale of 1-10, Diggs responded:

"“He’s a 10. I love Russ. He’s a winner, he has that winning mind. I always admire his game. When he has a supporting cast, he plays extremely well. Even by himself he will make it work.”"

So what would a trade look like you say?

With the Vikings in cap hell, we will likely have to take on some additional cap to make it work on both sides. In my example, this could prove to be a win for both sides. However, with Stefon Diggs under contract for several more seasons, the compensation would likely need to be plentiful. This is what I think a trade would look like:

This would get the Seahawks a premier pass rusher for a reasonable cost ($13.1 million), and another star wide receiver for the equivalent of a first and fifth-round draft pick. The Vikings would get $18.6 million in cap relief and some additional ammunition in the draft to continue to build their roster. This move would get Minnesota out of the red. They would also get a pick for a player (Griffen) that they are likely to cut given the cap space. It’s a win-win for both organizations.

Seattle knows that the window to win a Super Bowl is now. They will be aggressive in getting all the pieces around their star QB to give the team the best chance possible. While much of the cap will be spent on the defensive line. Giving Wilson another top-tier weapon could prove to be the boiling point to getting Seattle back playing into February, playing for the Lombardi trophy.