Former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs helped give New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye a trusted target in a breakout season that ended with a trip to the Super Bowl.
Now, Diggs could be on his way out of New England.
Some insiders have pegged Diggs as a potential cut candidate for the Patriots, with the team’s top leadership refusing to publicly commit to keeping him on the roster for 2026.
Patriots Noncommittal on Stefon Diggs’ Future
After being traded by the Bills in 2024, Diggs had an injury-shortened season with the Houston Texans before joining the Patriots in free agency. He led the team with 85 receptions for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns, helping his team seize the division from the Bills.
But there is now growing speculation that the Patriots could part ways with Diggs due to his big cap hit and lingering off-the-field drama.
As Mark Daniels of MLive.com noted, the Patriots face a difficult decision on Diggs’ future. The team can free up $16.8 million in cap space by releasing him — or up to $20.8 million with a post-June 1 designation — along with taking $9.7 million in dead money.
Daniels noted that Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf sparked more rumors when he wouldn’t answer specifically whether the team planned to bring Diggs back for 2026.
“I’m not going to get into any specific players today,” Wolf told reporters at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. “You know, there are certain conversations that we’re having, and we’ll see what happens with everything.”
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said the team is evaluating all players, but did offer some praise for Diggs.
“Not only his future, but what he was able to come in and do for us, and provide leadership and work really hard in the time he was rehabbing from his knee,” Vrabel said on Wednesday, via NESN. “I think just a really good presence reach and every week.”
Daniels suggested there could be another option that keeps Diggs in New England but lowers his cap hit.
“The Patriots could approach Diggs about restructuring his contract,” Daniels wrote. “That might be the best of both worlds, as the team would keep their leading receiver while not being hit with a $26.5 million cap hit on someone who will turn 33 next fall.”
Stefon Diggs Facing Potential Punishment
Diggs has more uncertainty in his future as he faces charges of felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery charges stemming from a December incident where police say he assaulted a former personal chef.
Diggs was in court for his arraignment in the days after the Super Bowl and has professed his innocence, but could still face a suspension for the charges. The NFL has wide latitude to issue punishment to players who face charges, even if they are dropped.
That punishment may not come immediately. The league often allows legal proceedings to play out, which was the case with former Bills edge rusher Von Miller, who was suspended for four games in the 2024 season after facing assault charges in late 2023.
