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Former Maryland football star Stefon Diggs just earned those big bucks.
Just six months after his role in the “Minneapolis Miracle,” Diggs will sign a five-year, $72 million extension with the Minnesota Vikings worth up to $81 million with $40 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Diggs was entering the final year of his rookie deal, but this extension will keep him in Minnesota for the next six seasons. A proven commodity after just three seasons in the league, the Vikings now have both Diggs and fellow starter Adam Thielen locked up on long-term deals.
The Maryland football product slipped to the fifth round in the 2015 draft before the Vikings scooped him up. He immediately made the rest of the league regret its failures, posting 42 catches for 720 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie. He followed that up with 84 catches for 903 yards and three touchdowns in 2016, and 64 catches for 849 yards and a career-high eight touchdowns in 2017.
He kept up his play into the postseason, delivering the game-winning 61-yard touchdown catch to defeat the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Divisional Round. Diggs and the Minneapolis Miracle recently took home the ESPY for Best Sports Moment.
With Diggs’ newest contract, he won’t hit unrestricted free agency until 2024 at the earliest, according to Spotrac. With Kirk Cousins recently installed at quarterback, Minnesota will hope it’s retooled passing game can make it back to the playoffs after falling in the conference championships in 2017.