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The Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan and Doug Kyed reported the New England Patriots have one clear issue with wide receiver Stefon Diggs going forward.
As NFL pundits connected the New England Patriots to A.J. Brown through trade rumors this week, other wide receiver speculation emerged for the Patriots at the NFL combine. Will Stefon Diggs remain in New England for the 2026 season?
Patriots insiders explained at the end of this week the team has a few different options with the veteran wideout. There’s also several potential factors that will influence their Diggs decision.
However, The Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan and Doug Kyed reported there’s one main reason why Diggs might have to continue his career elsewhere in 2026 — his drop-off in play.
“According to team sources, Diggs’ return to New England is no guarantee, though multiple high-ranking members of the organization believe his current contract is fair enough he could continue to play on it,” wrote Callahan and Kyed.
“The problem, according to Patriots evaluators, is whether Diggs remains a No. 1 wide receiver.
“Diggs is a declining player who disappeared against elite defenses in the playoffs after a 1,000-yard regular season. He will turn 33 in November and could resemble a No. 2 wideout next year, not to mention his outstanding legal problems facing strangulation and assault charges.
“But Diggs also doubled as the emotional leader of the locker room and a flag bearer for Vrabel’s culture last year, something the head coach valued greatly as he built out his new program.”
Diggs finished the 2025 regular season with 85 catches for 1,013 receiving yards and four touchdowns. No other Patriots wideout had more than 551 yards.
But in the postseason, Diggs registered 14 catches for just 110 yards. He averaged 7.9 yards per reception and 27.5 yards per postseason game.
Patriots Have Choices With WR Stefon Diggs
The initial thought with the Patriots pursuing Brown was the team would pair the former All-Pro receivers together.
That could certainly happen. With Brown, Diggs could slide into the WR2 role, which New England appears to prefer for Diggs in 2026.
But to do that, the Patriots might have to rework Diggs’s contract.
New England acquiring Brown, or another elite wideout, and then flipping Diggs is also a possibility.
“Ultimately, several options remain on the table: keeping Diggs on his current contract, restructuring his deal after a renegotiation or parting ways via a release or trade. Cutting ties with Diggs would create a roster hole they cannot fill in free agency and are unlikely to solve in the draft, something the Patriots are mindful of as they weigh their options and a possible restructure,” wrote Callahan and Kyed.
“Diggs’ base salary next season is $20.6 million, and only $1.7 million is guaranteed through March 13, when he will be guaranteed another $6 million if he remains on the roster. His $26.5 million cap hit feels heavy for an aging receiver, though the Patriots are among the league leaders in cap space and do not expect to splurge this offseason.”
Given that Diggs is important from a culture standpoint, and the Patriots don’t appear to mind how much he costs, a return still seems likely. But clearly, New England would prefer quarterback Drake Maye have another top option in the receiver room.
Final 2026 Prediction for Patriots, Diggs
As noise around Diggs increased over the final week of February, league-wide insiders seemed to see the receiver playing elsewhere in 2026.
Patriots insiders, though, appear more reluctant to predict a divorce is coming. After going through the scenarios, along with the pros and cons, Callahan and Kyed projected Diggs to stay in New England.
“While most outside league sources cast doubt on Diggs’ return this week, including some familiar with the Patriots’ thinking, there is stronger belief internally he will be back,” they wrote.
Diggs will turn 33 years old in November. He made first-team All-Pro in 2020 and second-team All-Pro during 2022 with the Buffalo Bills.
The 2025 campaign was his seventh 1,000-yard campaign. He’s registered 942 catches, 11,504 receiving yards and 74 touchdowns in 161 career NFL games.
Dave Holcomb is a sports reporter covering the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions. Originally from Pittsburgh, Holcomb has covered college and professional sports for outlets including FanSided, Rotowire and Yardbarker. More about Dave Holcomb
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