Cousins: Vikings were 'smart' to trade disgruntled Diggs

With Stefon Diggs clearly seeking an exit from the Minnesota Vikings, quarterback Kirk Cousins believes his team was right to grant the wide receiver a trade despite the major hole it left in the offense.

"It became apparent that (Diggs) wanted to play elsewhere, and I think it was smart of the Vikings to grant him that opportunity," Cousins said, according to ESPN's Courtney Cronin. "I think it wasn't a mystery, and that's OK. I wish him really well. I just so enjoyed playing with him.

"He's a special player, and we now have to find a way to move forward and replace that, if you will, with a variety of players. But I think that that'll be our challenge going forward, is creating that talented option outside of Adam (Thielen) on the outside, and I think there'll be a variety of ways to do that, and I'm excited to get started on that challenge."

The Vikings shipped Diggs to the Buffalo Bills this offseason for a package that included a first-round pick.

While the relationship between Cousins and Diggs appeared strained at times, the receiver wrote glowingly of his former QB in an essay for The Players' Tribune.

Cousins also only had positive things to say about his time with Diggs, and described the trade as a "win-win."

"I think my text message to him said something along the lines of, 'You're as good as any receiver I've ever played with,'" Cousins said. "That includes some names like Adam Thielen, DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon ... he's elite. I just wanted to affirm him, and thank him. It sounds cliche but I'm as good as a quarterback as the guys around me."