Case Keenum reunited with his hometown team last offseason after bouncing around the NFL for years.
Now, the Houston Texans backup quarterback is reuniting with a player who made him a star back with the Minnesota Vikings in 2017.
The Minneapolis Miracle was the curtain call to a dominant season for Keenum as he guided the Vikings back to the NFC Championship game for a date with Philadelphia. Keenum’s pass glided through the air into the arms of Stefon Diggs, who beat a pair of New Orleans Saints defenders for a 61-yard touchdown as time expired.
Keenum is older. So is Diggs, who joins Houston after a four-year stint with the Buffalo Bills. Still, the former believes the latter is still spry and ready to reach his peak as C.J. Stroud’s new top target.
“He’s a dynamic player and he hasn’t lost a step,” Keenum told KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson during his annual youth football camp. If anything, he has gotten more savviness and can put some extra sauce on some routes when he needs to and win.”
Keenum wasn’t expected to be much when the Vikings signed him back to a one-year deal. The hope was for former No. 1 pick Sam Bradford to be the starter and remain healthy as a constant for Diggs.
#Texans quarterback Case Keenum @casekeenum on addition of his #Vikings and #Bills teammate Stefon Diggs @stefondiggs who was on receiving end of Keenum’s ‘Minneapolis Miracle’ pass ‘Dynamic player and he hasn’t lost a step. I’m excited to see what he can do in the fall’ @KPRC2 https://t.co/8srvLowp6z pic.twitter.com/Q5KfDSqjsZ
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) June 12, 2024
Instead, Diggs became a constant for Keenum, who threw for 3,547 yards and 22 touchdowns while guiding Minnesota 13-3 season. By the end of his third season, Diggs was recognized as a rising star, hauling in 64 catches for 849 and 8 scores.
Keenum left the following offseason for Denver while Diggs was paired up with Kirk Cousins. The former never reached that same pinnacle of dominance with the Broncos, Bills, Commanders or Browns over his next five seasons.
Diggs, meanwhile, was just getting started on a six-year run of 1,000-yard seasons between the Vikings and Bills.
The two crossed paths back in 2022 once Keenum arrived in Buffalo to back up Josh Allen. From the sidelines, he saw his former No. 1 target finish third in touchdowns (11), fourth in receptions (108), and fifth in receiving yards (1,429).
Keenum wasn’t there for the end of Diggs’ tenure, but he also isn’t worried following his dipped production amid his final year with the franchise. After a hot start during the first six games, the 30-year-old only totaled 50-plus yards twice in the final six weeks, including the playoffs.
“He’s done a great job of continuing to build his craft and work his tools, his toolset, and I’m excited to see what he can do in the fall,” Keenum said.
#Texans veteran quarterback Case Keenum @casekeenum imparts knowledge at his second annual youth football camp held today @OllinASM @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/Z7DeulYGHb
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) June 12, 2024
Houston, which traded a 2025 second-round pick to Buffalo for Diggs, is banking on the veteran to be a mouthpiece in the locker room and a vocal presence for Nico Collins and Tank Dell. He also joins an offense featuring proven names like tight end Dalton Schultz and Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon.
Keenum believes everything is in place for Diggs to put up Pro Bowl-caliber numbers as part of one of the league’s top trios.
He also thinks Stroud will be poised to avenge an underwhelming outing in the AFC Divisional Round loss against Baltimore.
“He’s hungry,” Keenum said of Stroud. “There was obviously a lot of success, and guys are very proud of what we were able to do and what he was able to do. There’s still some meat on the bone. We still want to get after it. We want to finish with the confetti falling down and winning the last one.”