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Previewing the Patriots wide receiver heading into his first season in New England.
The
New England Patriots entered their first offseason under head coach Mike Vrabel with two big goals in mind. Besides wanting to improve the culture in the room after what was a challenging season in that respect, the club also aimed at improving the supporting cast around starting quarterback Drake Maye.
A significant portion of the team’s offseason acquisitions, whether through free agency or the draft, fall into both those categories. One of the highest-profile of those is veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who joined the team on a three-year free agency deal after previous stints with the
Minnesota Vikings,
Buffalo Bills and
Houston Texans.
Hard facts
Name: Stefon Diggs
Position: Wide receiver
Jersey number: 8
Opening day age: 31 (11/29/1993)
Measurements: 6’1”, 191 lbs, 31 1/4” arm length, 10” hand size, 4.46s 40-yard dash, 7.03s 3-cone drill, 4.32s short shuttle, 35” vertical jump, 9’7” broad jump, 11 bench press reps, 5.66 Relative Athletic Score
Experience
NFL: Minnesota Vikings (2015-19), Buffalo Bills (2020-23), Houston Texans (2024), New England Patriots (2025-) |
College: Maryland (2012-14)
A standout receiver at Good Counsel in Olney, MD, Diggs was one of the top high school prospects in the nation. The consensus five-star recruit received scholarship offers from several of the top colleges in the country, but despite heavy interest decided to stay home and attend the University of Maryland.
Diggs had a productive three-year stint with the Terrapins, catching 150 passes for 2,227 yards and 14 touchdowns in 28 games and being named second-team All-SEC as a junior in 2014. However, the hype he originally carried into college had died down a bit coming out of it: deciding to skip his senior campaign in College Park, he had to wait until the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft to hear his name called.
The Vikings picked him up with the 146th overall pick, but despite his lack of draft pedigree gave him a prominent role in their offense from early in his rookie season on. He never looked back, and over five years in Minnesota caught a total of 387 regular season and playoff passes for 4,932 yards and 32 touchdowns — including one of the most spectacular scores in recent postseason history, a buzzer-beater against New Orleans in the 2017 divisional round.
While Diggs already was a star as a Viking, he took his game to a new level after getting traded to Buffalo during the 2020 offseason. Teaming up with quarterback Josh Allen, he caught 492 passes for 5,972 yards and 39 touchdowns in 75 combined games en route to being voted to two All-Pro teams and four straight Pro Bowls.
Coming off four straight 100-yard seasons, Diggs was traded a second time. In April 2024, the Bills sent him to Houston where he played the most recent eight games on what is one of the most impressive résumés of any wide receiver in the NFL right now.
Scouting report
Strengths: Diggs is one of the best route runners in football who is a teach-tape type of wide receiver. He has an outstanding feel for leverage, body adjustments and tempo, and combines it with precise cuts that limit wasted movement to a minimum. He reaches his landmarks quickly against zone looks, but also has the experience and football IQ to make changes on the fly if the coverage dictates them.
Against man coverage, meanwhile, he knows how to stack defenders and create separation throughout his route. He has an effective first step out of his stance, and offers good quickness and decisive hands.
While starting out as more of a perimeter receiver, Diggs developed into a truly flexible player through his career. He can line up both outside and in the slot to great effect, allowing offensive coordinators to move him around the formation in hopes of creating the best possible matchups. In general, he is a strong player with the ball in his hands whether as a YAC-machine who averaged 4.1 yards after catch over the course of his career or as a part-time ball-carrier on jet sweeps or other designed runs.
A fiery competitor who is not afraid to use his voice, Diggs has built high-level chemistry with virtually every quarterback he played with through the years. While his connection with Josh Allen was the most productive, he also was a go-to guy for the likes of Case Keenum, Kirk Cousins and C.J. Stroud. A reliable chain-mover, his track record of production regardless of team speaks for itself.
Weaknesses: The biggest question marks with Diggs joining the Patriots are his age and his injury status. Set to turn 32 in November, he is coming off a torn ACL suffered in October 2024. While reports out of his recovery have been encouraging, there is uncertainty about just how quickly he will be back to top form, and whether or not there will be a drop-off in effectiveness as a result of the injury.
In addition, Diggs is not the most imposing player or a top-notch natural athlete. He has been a bit hit-or-miss as a blocker in the run game, and has had some disappointing streaks as far as drops and ball security are concerned. His competitive nature and alpha mentality in the wide receiver room may also not be for everyone.
2024 review
Stats: 8 games (8 starts) | 431 offensive snaps (38.9%) | 62 targets, 47 catches (75.8%), 496 yards, 3 TDs | 3 carries, 8 yards (2.7 yards/carry), 1 TD | 1 pass attempt, 1 completion (100%), 13 yards | 2 drops (3.2%), 2 penalties
Season recap: Even though he was coming off his fourth 1,000-yard season in four years with the Bills and was still an integral part of the team’s offense, Buffalo decided to trade Diggs to the Texans in April 2024. The team sent him plus fifth- and sixth-round draft choices to Houston in return for a second-round selection.
For the Texans, who subsequently restructured his contract into a one-year, $22.52 million deal, the trade made sense for one clear reason: it allowed them to give sophomore QB C.J. Stroud an experienced volume receiver with WR1 qualities to work with. And to work the pair went right out of the gate.
Starting his first seven games as a Texan as a WR1b to WR1a Nico Collins, Diggs was on the field for 81.4 percent of offensive snaps and caught 42 passes on 54 targets for 415 yards and 3 touchdowns — including a 6-77-1 performance against the Patriots in Week 6.
Like Cooper Kupp, Stefon Diggs had his 2nd best game of the season vs the
#Patriots
Hid production came vs off and zone coverage, but he did shake Gonzo at the top of one route for a TD
pic.twitter.com/I4uBe1ZyWv
— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39)
March 20, 2025
In addition to quality levels of production as a receiver, Diggs also contributed in other ways. He had a 13-yard completion against his old team, the Vikings, and managed to score his first career rushing touchdown out of a similar look the next week versus the
Jacksonville Jaguars.
All in all, Diggs showcased the same skills that had made him a productive pass catcher in Minnesota and especially Buffalo, and developed some quick chemistry with his young new quarterback. As a consequence, he was on track for yet another 1,000-yard campaign — it would have been his seventh straight going back to his time with the Vikings.
However, his Week 8 contest against the
Indianapolis Colts in October proved to be Diggs’ final game as a Texan. In the third quarter — after he had caught five passes for 81 yards — he went down with a non-contact knee injury that was later revealed to be a torn ACL. He underwent surgery shortly thereafter, ending his season and eventually his tenure in Houston.
2025 preview
Position: Volume Z/X-WR |
Ability: High quality starter |
Contract: Signed through 2027
What will be his role? Despite coming off a season-ending knee injury, Diggs is the closest player the Patriots have to a true No. 1 wide receiver. If able to pick up where he left off — something that is not a given considering the nature of the ailment plus his age — he is a starting three-down wideout with the positional versatility to play both outside and inside the formation. He projects as a Z/X hybrid with some slot snaps sprinkled in as well.
What is his growth potential? In the grand scheme of things, Diggs’ growth potential is marginal at best. He is entering his 11th season in the league and is well-established as a productive NFL wide receiver. Relative to a) the end to his 2024 campaign, and b) his recent change of scenery, however, there is definitive room for improvement: he effectively started at zero both health-wise and within the Patriots’ scheme, and needs to show that he can carry out the tasks required of him both physically and mentally. There is little concern at this point in the process, but questions remain nonetheless.
Does he have positional versatility? Even though he had spent a clear majority of his NFL career up to that point as an outside receiver, the Texans opted to employ Diggs slightly differently: before tearing his ACL, 45.5 percent of his snaps came out of the slot (196 of 431) — by far his highest rate since his 2016 sophomore season in Minnesota. His production did not suffer by his more diverse role, which suggests that a similar usage under Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels might also be possible.
What is his salary cap situation? As part of the three-year, $63.5 million contract Diggs signed with the Patriots in March, he is carrying a salary cap number of $8.7 million. It consists of a $2.9 million salary and $4 million signing bonus proration — both of which fully guaranteed — as well as $3.4 million in game-day roster bonuses, including $1.6 million classified as likely to be earned. In addition, the contract features a $200,000 workout bonus as well as up to $4.5 million in not-likely to be earned incentives. In terms of cap impact this season, Diggs is the eighth most-expensive player on New England’s roster and the No. 25 wide receiver in the NFL.
How safe is his roster spot? The cap-rich Patriots could financially withstand releasing Diggs given the relatively low total guarantees in his three-year contract ($16.6M). That being said, unless he struggles mightily to adapt to his new team and/or life after reconstructive knee surgery, he should be considered a lock to make the 53-man roster — either as part of the initial team or after a season-opening stint on the physically unable to perform list. Given the optimistic reports surrounding his recovery, the first scenario appears to be more likely.
Summary: The 31-year-old Diggs does not project as a long-term solution to the Patriots’ wide receiver woes, but he does have the potential to be a difference-maker and volume target for the remainder of quarterback Drake Maye’s rookie contract. His track record is impressive, after all, and he has shown that changing teams does not pose a problem for him. Whether the same is true for recovering from a torn ACL will be seen.
What do you think about Stefon Diggs heading into the 2025 season? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.
