The New England Patriots have signed veteran receiver Stefon Diggs to a three-year $69 million deal to help bolster their offense.
Diggs, who most recently played for the Houston Texans is entering his eleventh season in the pros. He caught 47 passes for 496 yards and three touchdowns in eight games during his lone season in Houston. Diggs only played around half of the 2024 season due to a torn ACL in Week 8.
Diggs will join a receiving core that has been lamented for lacking talent and depth in recent years and hopefully can be a remedy to the woes New England has had at this position. Young receivers like Kayshon Boutte and Jalynn Polk could benefit and feed off of Diggs’ veteran experience and knowledge.
Evaluating Stefon Diggs to the Patriots
Diggs was once considered an elite offensive weapon, showing incredible game-breaking abilities in his early years with the Minnesota Vikings, before signing with the Buffalo Bills where he blossomed even more, earning four straight pro-bowl appearances.
His former success earned him his contract with the Patriots, who hope he can replicate some of the better seasons he had in the league before his injury in 2024.
Whether or not Diggs was worth the $69 million he was signed for is to be determined. For now, the Patriots have reasons to have hope, as well as be concerned by this acquisition.
Diggs wasn’t nearly as talked about in his first season away from Buffalo as he was when he played there. This was likely because he was no longer a number-one option with the Texans, as he played alongside both Nico Collins and Tank Dell. Despite this, Diggs was still on pace to have around 100 receptions and 1,000 yards.
However, the aforementioned ACL injury is something to look at, as the aging Diggs will turn 32 during the upcoming 2025 season, meaning there’s no guarantee he will be the same player he was before he got injured. If Diggs falls off and doesn’t end up living up to his contract, the money spent on him will be considered a waste of cap space.
There’s also his lack of big-time production in the postseason in recent appearances to be concerned about. Diggs early in his career had one of the most iconic plays in NFL history while in Minnesota, with his 61-yard game-winning touchdown with no time left against the New Orleans Saints in 2018. But, since then, his production hasn’t been the same.
Since 2019, Diggs’ teams have made the playoffs every year. In his final season with the Vikings, Diggs only recorded 4 receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown in two games. During the Wild Card game against New Orleans, Diggs had a tantrum on the sideline for a lack of targets and threw his helmet in frustration. This was only the beginning of this kind of behavior, which would eventually be more talked about as years went on.
Criticism of Diggs’ lack of postseason production would only continue during his time in Buffalo, particularly in multiple matchups against the Chiefs. He wasn’t much of a difference maker in the Bills 38-24 blowout loss in Kansas City in their 2020 AFC Championship matchup, having six receptions for 77 yards. The following year in the famous 42-36 overtime shootout loss against the same Chiefs, he only caught three passes for seven yards, while his teammate Gabriel Davis erupted for 201 yards and four touchdowns.
Digg’s final game in Buffalo was yet another brutal loss to the Chiefs, where he caught a measly three passes for 21 yards. He also had a crucial drop in the fourth quarter, when Josh Allen threw a perfect bomb down the sideline that went right through Diggs’ hands. The Bills were trailing 27-24 at the time and had Diggs caught that pass, the game could have ended much differently.
Not only are these repeated underwhelming performances in big games something to be concerned about, but some recurring off-the-field drama that has occurred with Diggs is also something to look at. His sideline drama in Minnesota as well as his falling out with Buffalo are examples of some unneeded antics that could hurt a team’s locker room and culture.
Some analysts and fans are already predicting that this signing will affect what position the Patriots go after with the fourth pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Some say that they will go after defensive end Abdul Carter and forgo taking an offensive player. The Patriots, still having many needs on the offensive side of the ball could still go after one of the top receivers in the draft, but Diggs’ signing definitely gives reason for fans to doubt that outcome.
The overall point is signing Diggs for $69 million is a gamble, given his history of drama with his former organizations that he played for, his previous shortcomings in the postseason, and the fact he will be returning from a season-ending ACL tear.
Only time will tell how this signing affects the Patriots long term, but for now, there is reason to have both optimism and caution about it moving forward.
Main Image: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
