After a down year in Houston for the 2024 season, signing Stefon Diggs to New England seemed like a huge gamble. He was coming off a season-ending torn ACL injury as well, so peak performance wasn’t guaranteed. But by now, we can safely say that Diggs met expectations in Foxborough and was a key cornerstone in leading the team to the Super Bowl. Still, could this be the final year we see him in a Patriots jersey?
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Sure, Diggs’ 1,000-yard season is tempting for the Patriots, but a trade could very well happen. Why is that? There are more than a few reasons, both on and off the field.
Starting with the off-field aspect, Diggs has brought a little more drama than some teams, especially New England, would tolerate. Even before the season began, he made one too many headlines for passing a pink substance out to bikini-clad women, which even rookie head coach Mike Vrabel had to address in a statement.
Diggs continued to make dramatic headlines throughout the season, even up to the Super Bowl, when news came out that he and his girlfriend Cardi B broke up before the game. After hyping the Patriots all year, Cardi B managed only an unenthusiastic “Good luck” to Diggs before the game when a reporter asked what inspiring message she’d want to give him.
And that supposed breakup could even have affected the wideout’s performance, as he had a very quiet night, amassing 37 yards from three catches in New England’s 13-29 loss. When facing an easy schedule in the regular season, Diggs balled out, but against tougher opponents, he barely held his own, like in the Super Bowl, where he could barely get open.
Now, with a New England offense consisting of a young QB in Drake Maye and other young options available, they could very well wish to invest in another young wide receiver in place of Diggs. And he’s carrying a significant cap hit as well that could help the team.
Diggs signed a three-year, $63.5 million deal with the club last year. The Patriots could save close to $16.8 million by releasing him before June 1, per Over The Cap. If the team decides to designate him as a post-June release, they could save $20.8 million by splitting the $9.7 million dead hit between 2026 and 2027.
The Patriots need help on defense as well, as we saw in the Big Game. They are currently ranked 11th in cap space at $42.7 million, but if they decide to go for veteran secondary key pieces, that $42.7 million would be much needed and then some. Regardless, Diggs, for his part, has said that he’d like to stay in New England for the 2026 season.
When asked if he’d like to stay in the city for 2026, he said, “Oh (expletive). Unless they opt out of the contract.” He added, “I anticipate being here, so I hope so. Love my guys. I had a hell of a year playing with them. Built some real family-like bond, so I hope so, I don’t control it though.”
It will be interesting to see how it all plays out for Diggs. Since he was so close to getting his first Super Bowl ring, he could convince the higher-ups that he’s fully locked in to help them get back there again. So perhaps we don’t see him get traded. But the off-field drama could very well lead to his departure. No team would tolerate that much off-field noise made by a single player.
