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Diggs on trade rumors: 'There's truth to all rumors' (1:15)
Stefon Diggs brushes off questions about the speculations that he wants to be traded, but says there's truth to all rumors. (1:151:25 PM CSThttps://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id...ggs-lessen-speculation-says-truth-all-rumors#
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Courtney CroninESPN Staff Writer
EAGAN, Minn. -- Wide receiver Stefon Diggs said he hasn't requested a trade from the Minnesota Vikings, but he did not lessen any speculation about his future with the team by saying there is "truth to all rumors."
Diggs did say, however, that he is unsure whether his agent has asked the Vikings to trade the star receiver.
"I haven't spoke to him about it," Diggs said. "You've got to talk to him."
Diggs addressed growing speculation over his dissatisfaction in Minnesota, which was compounded by his absence from Wednesday's practice. While the receiver said that a cold kept him from participating, he was listed on the daily injury report with a "non-football injury" designation.
Diggs was back in practice Thursday as a full participant and said he hopes to play Sunday against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium.
"We'll have to see," coach Mike Zimmer said when asked about Diggs' availability for Week 5.
Zimmer did not elaborate on whether Diggs had demanded a trade. The coach deferred to the situation as "an internal matter, and I'm not going to talk about it."
Sources indicated to ESPN that despite Diggs' frustrations with the Vikings' offense, which have been building for weeks, Minnesota has no intention of trading its star wideout, who signed a five-year extension in July 2018.
Diggs' target share has declined 4% in the first four games of the season from where it was last year. The receiver has caught 13 of his 19 targets for 209 yards and a touchdown. In the Vikings' first four games of the 2018 season, Diggs had 44 targets, 27 catches and 311 yards.
"I can't sit up here and act like everything is OK," Diggs said. "It's obviously not. But what I can say at this point, just trying to work through it."
Diggs did not specify what would make him satisfied in an offense where he's appeared obsolete at times as the Vikings have shifted toward a run-first approach with Dalvin Cook, the second-leading rusher in the NFL.
"It's not one thing," Diggs said. "It's not one specific thing that would make me more satisfied. I feel like at this point, I've been here for a while. I've been here for a couple years, so just kind of getting through it and going through the motions and acting like I've been in this space for a minute. We are where we are right now, and I'm saying a lot to say nothing right now, so you can get where this interview is going to go.
"If you want to win and you're not winning, of course you'll be frustrated. That's my answer."
The receiver said he's had conversations with "everybody" in the organization, from teammates and coaches to general manager Rick Spielman, about his frustrations with the offense. Whether he feels like he's being heard is a different story.
"I don't know," Diggs said. "I don't know at this point. With the way things are going, with the trend that we're at right now, I'm not 100 percent sure. Everybody has known me to be three things. That's one, a team guy -- I've always put the team before myself. I've never made it just about me. I've never been that kind of guy. My resume and my persona kind of speaks for itself.
"I've never been a guy to be like, 'Me, me, me.' Wanting to have success and wanting to have team success is always what I've pushed. So my language will stay the same whether I'm given many opportunities or not a lot. That's where we are. I know as a man who I am, what I bring to the table. That's what I'm going to ride with."
Earlier in the week, Kirk Cousins issued a public apology on his podcast to receiver Adam Thielen for missing him on a handful of wide-open throws in the Vikings' 16-6 loss at Chicago. The quarterback also said he hopes to get more opportunities to both Thielen and Diggs going forward.
Thielen said Thursday that Cousins did not need to apologize.
As for Diggs, Thielen said his relationship with his teammate is not in jeopardy.
"Absolutely not," Thielen said. "Diggs is one of my closest friends and, for me, I'm just trying to worry about my job. Those are things that are out of my control, and I'm going to go back to work and try to help this football team win games, as he is. He was out there today and grinding. Like I said, everybody on this team is worried about Sunday and worrying about putting their best foot on Sunday."
Though Diggs' contentment with his role is in question, the receiver reiterated that he loves "everything about my team." He said whether he'll remain in Minnesota going forward is a question of "whether they want me here."
"I mean, everybody has a role," Diggs said. "I've been here for a while. I don't feel like I don't have a role. But I also feel like, given the situation and what's going on, I'm just trying to the best of my ability to do my job. At the end of the day, all I can say is if I'm doing my job, I'm doing what's asked. Whether it's enough, it's kind of on them. But given opportunities, I try to make the most of my opportunities."