The addition of Stefon Diggs helped spark the Patriots’ return to AFC supremacy and Drake Maye’s ascent into an MVP-caliber quarterback in his sophomore season.
Last offseason, the Patriots took the risk of signing Diggs as he came off a torn ACL, agreeing to add the veteran wideout on a three-year, $63.5 million deal. The decision proved impactful on the field, as Diggs notched 85 catches for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns as the Patriots won the AFC East and returned to the Super Bowl.
Despite Diggs’s production in Year 1 with New England, the Patriots do have to decide whether they’ll restructure his contract or even cut him this year. The 32-year-old will come with a cap hit of $26.5 million in 2026, and the Patriots can save up to $20.8 million if they cut Diggs with a post-June 1 designation, per Mark Daniels and Karen Guregian of Mass Live.
According to Chad Graff of The Athletic, one league source believes the Patriots will cut Diggs if they are unable to restructure his deal to significantly lower his cap hit. The Patriots currently have $37.44 million in cap space after the NFL told teams that the cap has officially risen to $301.2 million for 2026, per Adam Schefter.
It makes the most sense for the Patriots to make their decision by March 13, as Diggs will be owed $6 million in guarantees at that point.
Cutting Diggs would of course cause the Patriots to lose a significant source of their production in the passing game. Diggs was the team’s first receiver to record 1,000 receiving yards since Julian Edelman in 2019. Off the field, Diggs is facing strangulation and assault charges. He pleaded not guilty to those charges earlier this month, and is set to return to court in April for a pre-trial hearing.
If the Patriots do opt to move on from Diggs, it might make them even more interested in pursuing a trade for Eagles receiver A.J. Brown, who of course has connections to head coach Mike Vrabel dating back to their time in Tennessee. Even amid the purgatory that has been the Eagles’ passing game over much of the past two years, Brown has recorded four consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons. The Eagles haven’t ruled out trading Brown this offseason, and if the Patriots are able to acquire him at the right price, it could make sense for Brown to reunite with his former coach on a young, ascending team.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why the Patriots Could Move on From Stefon Diggs This Offseason.
