NFL Free Agency picked up on Tuesday, as several teams in the Northeastern U.S. landed some big-name players. The New York Giants added Russell Wilson to their QB room. And closer to the coast, the New England Patriots secured wide receiver Stefon Diggs.
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Diggs, the Pats’ former rival during his Buffalo Bills tenure, gives Drake Maye a true No. 1 wideout. Notably, the New England inked him to a three-year, $69 million contract to fill that void in their receiving room.
Sources: The #Patriots are signing #Texans FA WR Stefon Diggs, one of the top free agents available. He gets a 3-year, up to $69M deal.
After a successful visit to NE, including a physical thanks to an ACL tear that ended his 2024, he lands to be a key target for Drake Maye. pic.twitter.com/3kX9QyQt1h
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 25, 2025
Last weekend, fans got an inkling that Diggs may be headed to the Patriots. He and Maye reportedly followed one another on Instagram. This led Kay Adams to question Maye about the duo’s action on Up & Adams. When Adams asked the young signal-caller who followed who first, he did his best to keep things under wraps.
“I’m not even sure… it was at the same time… I’m a young player trying to pay respect [to] anybody that I used to grow up watching and playing Madden with,” Maye explained.
Adams followed up by saying she thought Diggs “would be a nice little piece” for Maye, manifesting a potention union. Maye responded by saying he was on board with “whatever they decide in the front office.” He did admit, though, that the Patriots “had some things going on in the future” that he was “looking forward to.”
How does Stefon Diggs fit in New England?
The Patriots had the most cap space in the NFL ($127.5 million) entering the 2025-26 league year. They’ve put it to use, supplementing the roster around Maye in a massive way. They’ve added five potential starters to their defense, two starting offensive linemen, Diggs and many other depth pieces.
Patriots offseason additions now include:
WR Stefon Diggs
DT Milton Williams
DE Harold Landry
CB Carlton Davis
S Marcus Epps
RT Morgan Moses
LB Robert Spillane
C Garrett Bradbury
WR Mack Hollins
QB Joshua Dobbs
DT Khyiris Tonga
DE K‘Lavon Chaisson… https://t.co/PYiCuaH0gI— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 25, 2025
Tight end Hunter Henry led New England in receiving yards (674) last season. At wideout, only Demario Douglas (621) and Kayshon Boutte (589) topped 500 receiving yards. Maye needs someone to lead the receiving corps and elevate everyone’s level of play. Diggs, a four-time Pro Bowler, will do just that.
Stefon Diggs is still good at football (pending the Injury Gods being chill) pic.twitter.com/hFyB8tDVdN
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) March 25, 2025
Diggs’ 2024 statistics (47 receptions, 496 yards, three touchdowns) came in eight contests. Those numbers extrapolated over 17 games would be 100 catches, 1,054 yards and six touchdowns. They show he’s still more than capable of handling a No. 1 role in an offense.
The Buffalo Bills are deservedly the AFC East favorites for 2025. And on paper, the Patriots may not be as good as the Miami Dolphins. But they stack up well with the New York Jets, who won only one more game than them in 2024. New England is probably a year away from truly competing for a playoff spot, but they should be much improved in Maye’s second year.
