The New England Patriots are coming off a disappointing end to their season, in which the team reached the Super Bowl only to suffer a devastating loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
During their season-long run to the Super Bowl, the team benefited from the emergence of young star quarterback Drake Maye, receiver Kayshon Boutte, and rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson. With Mike Vrabel securing the NFL Coach of the Year award in his first season as Patriots head coach, the future looks promising.
However, the situation involving their star receiver, Stefon Diggs, remains unclear. Recent discussions about Diggs, who achieved standout seasons with the Buffalo Bills, suggest the team could have reason to move on from him before next season.
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According to the Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan, sources within the Patriots organization suggest there’s no guarantee that Diggs returns for next season.
While some “high-ranking members of the organization” suggest his current contract is fair for him to continue playing under, there are also outside sources who don’t believe he’ll return to New England.
Keeping Diggs could involve the Patriots restructuring his contract, or moving on from him by trading or releasing him. The latter two options would also cause a roster issue they’d need to address, which could be difficult given the upcoming NFL Draft.
Diggs, who has a base salary next season of $20.6 million with $1.7 million guaranteed through March 13, also would carry a $26.5 million cap hit. However, New England has the cap space to consider their options.
Diggs, 33, participated in all 17 games for the Patriots this season, finishing with 85 receptions for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns. While showing he’s still productive, his age will be a significant factor moving forward as New England looks to continue contending.
It seems that within the organization, there is a belief that Diggs would return. However, determining whether he is still playing like a No. 1 wide receiver is crucial to figuring out his contract situation.
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