Why Stefon Diggs Was Never Going to Return to the Patriots

Back in June, New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was asked about potentially bringing back Stefon Diggs for a second season. The wide receiver, coming off the team's first 1,000-yard receiving season since Julian Edelman in 2019, had remained unsigned since the Patriots released him in March ahead of free agency.

The coach didn't completely shut the door, but it was clear that the Patriots -- who had already acquired A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs at that point -- weren't interested in a reunion.

"I wouldn't say anything is off the table," Vrabel said. "We would want to add anybody that could help us. I'm not gonna give a percentage on it, but I think we're happy with where we're at right now with the numbers and the people in the receiver room.

"I appreciate Stefon as a person and as a player and what he did for us last year. I'll value that. Helped us win football games, helped us get to where we got, but right now I don't think that that's something that, you know, that we are exploring, but I would never say no."

Diggs To New England Was Never Happening

It's clear that the Patriots no longer needed Diggs, especially when his cap hit skyrocketed to $26.5 million at the start of the new league year. They cut ties with him before that charge could hit New England's payroll and Diggs became a free agent.

He's now back on an NFL roster, as Diggs reportedly inked a one-year contract worth up to $12 million with the Washington Commanders. That was the team he was connected to for quite some time during the offseason, and it felt like it would always end up like that.

Nov 2, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs (8) runs for a touchdown against Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III (3) and cornerback Mike Hughes (21) during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

But why didn't he end up returning to New England to run it back? That was never going to happen, despite what the online chatter hoping he would might make you believe.

It's not because the Patriots disliked Diggs (though some of the off-the-field drama late in the season might have played a minor role). In fact, he was beloved in the locker room and became Drake Maye's go-to target on third and fourth downs. His 85 catches led the team, and when you consider the role that he played in getting the Patriots into the postseason, his one-year tenure was perfect.

Diggs helped a 23-year-old Maye evolve in his second season. Despite coming off a torn ACL with the Houston Texans, Diggs fit that typical WR1 role for New England's offense and didn't look like he was missing a step.

Patriots Vastly Improved At WR Position This Offseason

But the Patriots had an opportunity to improve at the position, and moving on from Diggs put them on that trajectory. They spent nearly $70 million to bring in Doubs in free agency. They traded two draft picks, including a future first, to get Brown from the Philadelphia Eagles.

Those two moves alone clogged up any space that Diggs might have gotten. When you also consider the rest of the wide receiver room as it stands right now (Mack Hollins, Kayshon Boutte, Kyle Williams, DeMario Douglas, Efton Chism III, Cameron Dorner, Kyle Dixon, Nick DeGennaro, Kobe Prentice, Tejhaun Palmer), there is just no room for Diggs to find snaps.

Sure, if he was signed to a cheap one-year deal, the Patriots could easily make room. But Diggs operated in the slot most of 2025, and that's now going to be occupied by Doubs. The outside threats in Brown and Boutte offer more explosiveness down the field than Diggs does, and the promise that former third round pick Williams gives you is enough to not move off of him.

See what I mean?

It would have been too expensive to have three wide receivers, all talented enough to warrant top-of-the-line targets, on one roster.

To see Diggs -- who helped spur a turnaround in just one season and was a major player in the "We All We Got, We All We Need" rallying cry -- back in the fold again to build on his relationship with Maye and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels would have been fun. But from the second he was released five months ago, you could see this outcome unfolding.

Instead, Diggs now joins the Commanders and another 2024 first round quarterback in Jayden Daniels. Maybe he'll be able to work his same magic on another team coming off a rough year.

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