Replacing Stefon Diggs: How the Patriots Can Find Drake Maye a New Top Target in 2026

Projected Contracts, Landing Spots for the NFL’s 50 Best Free Agents in 2026 | When Does 2026 NFL Free Agency Start? | NFL Free Agency Guide for All 32 Teams

The Patriots made a potential roster-altering decision at wide receiver ahead of the 2026 season, informing wide receiver Stefon Diggs of their plans to release him at the beginning of the new league year.

Diggs, 32, signed with New England last March on a three-year, $69 million contract and went on to be an integral part of the team’s run to Super Bowl LIX. He led the Patriots in receptions (85), yards (1,013), first downs (51) and 20-plus-yard receptions (17) while hauling in four touchdowns and helping quarterback Drake Maye turn in an MVP-caliber season.

That said, the team is now moving on from the wide receiver in an effort to save money and free up salary cap space for 2026. Releasing Diggs will incur a $9.7 million dead-cap hit, but also avoids a $6 million guarantee he was set to receive if he remained on the roster past March 134, while creating $26.5 million in space ahead of next week’s opening of free agency.

MORE: Drake Maye Reacts to Patriots' Release of WR Stefon Diggs

That said, New England can’t stay stagnant this offseason. Coming off its surprise appearance in the big game, New England needs to continue building up their offense around Maye—and one way to do so is by giving him a top-flight pass catcher to work with ahead of year three.

Here are three ways they can do so.

Sign Alec Pierce

The Colts seemingly made their choice between Daniel Jones and Alec Pierce this week, deciding to transition tag the quarterback while allowing the wide receiver to hit free agency.

Pierce—who was primarily a downfield threat during his time with Indianapolis, leading the NFL in yards-per-reception over the past two seasons—made it known during an appearance on Up and Adams on Wednesday that he’s excited to test the market, in part because it will give him a chance to showcase his ability as a high-volume target at multiple levels of the field.

“A lot of times the stuff I was doing [with the Colts] was all downfield, it was pretty low percentage-type stuff and that was just the nature of our offense…” he explained. “The more short game, intermediate game—that's probably a little bit easier [for] completions—is going to be stuff that I'm going to take on a larger portion of now. I'm kind of projecting towards doing that because you've got to justify paying a receiver this much money and you can't be a guy that's catching two balls a game."

Pierce notched career highs in receptions (37) and yards (1,003) in 2025, and with a larger target share in an offense built around him—paired with a quarterback in Maye who led the NFL in both completion percentage (72.0%) and yards per attempt (8.9) last season—he could take his game to new heights with the Patriots.

Trade for A.J. Brown

A.J. Brown, Mike Vrabel — Mike Vrabel coached A.J. Brown during his time in Tennessee. | George Walker IV / Tennessean.com-Imagn Images

The most obvious destination for A.J. Brown—should the Eagles actually move the star pass catcher in a trade this offseason—has always been New England.

Brown was selected by now-Patriots coach Mike Vrabel and the Titans in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft, and would go on to produce two 1,000-plus yard seasons before being shipped off to Philadelphia in a blockbuster 2022 trade. During his time in Tennessee, the wide receiver built a unique relationship with the coach—one that Vrabel revealed last week is still ongoing.

“I've watched him grow, I've watched him mature,” said Vrabel at the NFL combine. “I'm proud of him. Proud of the father that he is, proud of the husband, and that has nothing to do with where he plays or where he played. … We reach out and text each other during the things that happen good to each other and sometimes things don't go so well for the people that you're close with, and you text those as well.”

The Eagles are reportedly asking for a first-round pick, with a second-round sweetener attached, in exchange for Brown. That may be steep for the Patriots, given where they’re at in their rebuild. That said, for a lower price, a deal for the three-time second-team All-Pro could be worth it in an effort to continue Maye’s development.

Select a blue-chip prospect in the first round of the draft

Denzel Boston, Omar Cooper Jr., KC Concepcion. — The Patriots will have options at wide receiver in the draft. | Boston: Rick Osentoski, Imagn Images / Cooper Jr.: Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images / Concepcion: Maria Lysaker, Imagn Images

The least sexy option for the Patriots here is leaving the start of the offseason without a proven target, and instead relying on the NFL draft to fill the void.

Alas, there are several options that could be had at the back-end of the first round, should they go that route at pick No. 31.

Denzel Boston, Washington

Boston is a big-bodied target standing at 6’4” and weighing 209 pounds. He hauled in 60-plus receptions and 800-plus yards across each of the last two seasons to go with 19 receiving touchdowns—and would be an ideal volume pass catcher to pair with Maye in New England.

KC Concepcion, Texas A&M

Texas A&M fans will tell you just how electric Concepcion is as a playmaker. Not only did he catch 61 passes for 919 yards and nine touchdowns for the Aggies this past season, but he also proved to be an elite return specialist—racking up 456 return yards and two touchdowns on 25 attempts in 2025.

Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana

How do you get yourself over the hump and compete for a Super Bowl? By bringing in championship-level talent, of course. Cooper Jr. was the Hoosiers’ leading receiver in 2025, catching 69 passes for 937 yards and 13 touchdowns on the way to a college football title. He’s a versatile receiver who makes plays in the biggest moments, see: Indiana’s last-second win over Penn State in early-November to keep their playoff hopes alive.