Brett Duke/Associated Press

The Minnesota Vikings pulled in a great haul when they traded wideout Stefon Diggs to the Buffalo Bills as free agency got underway, picking up a 2020 first-round pick, fifth-round pick, sixth-round pick and a 2021 fourth-rounder.

If only the Bills knew just how untenable things had become in Minnesota, that price may have gone down a significant amount.

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Diggs' time with the Vikings had reached its end as the receiver was looking to be treated like a top player beyond what Minnesota was providing:

"Many around the league believe Diggs would have become combustible in Minnesota eventually and wanted to be a No. 1 elsewhere. 'He left them with no choice,' said a source with knowledge of the situation. 'The deal was too good to pass up.'"

Now in Buffalo, there's no question Diggs is the top weapon for quarterback Josh Allen & Co.

The wideout helps take the Bills from a Wild Card contender to an AFC title challenger. With Tom Brady out in New England, the AFC East appears as wide open as it has been in the last two decades. For a team with Allen, Diggs, Cole Beasley and John Brown as a complement to running back Devin Singletary, expectations are certainly going to be high heading into the season.

That would've been the case for the Vikings had Diggs returned, but the receiver would not have been the focal point of the offense. Not with tight end Kyle Rudolph, running back Dalvin Cook and wideout Adam Thielen all developing into major contributors.

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Despite Diggs outpacing his teammates by at least 30 targets, issues between him and quarterback Kirk Cousins had become too much to overcome.

Early in the 2019 season, as trade winds began to swirl amid concerns Diggs wanted out of Minnesota, the wideout responded by telling local media "there's truth to all rumors". Even after the Vikings came back to advance to the NFC Divisional Round in the playoffs, Minnesota was nearing a decision that likely ended Diggs time with the franchise.

When the Vikings handed Cousins a two-year extension as free agency opened up, Diggs made it clear he no longer had interest remaining with the club.

Once the Bills offered a handful of draft picks over the next two years, there was no turning back.

Buffalo got its No. 1 receiver, the Vikings get to move on without a total rebuild and Diggs gets the star treatment he was missing in Minnesota.