The Patriots plan to release wide receiver Stefon Diggs, a league source confirmed Wednesday.
The news comes in the lead-up to the start of free agency, in which the Patriots could pursue an upgrade at the position. Potential targets include Mike Evans, Alec Pierce, and Wan’Dale Robinson. A trade for a top wideout, such as A.J. Brown, also remains a possibility.
The Patriots signed Diggs to a three-year, $69 million contract as part of their spending spree last March. His salary-cap number for the 2026 season was set to be $26.5 million, the second-highest figure on the team behind only defensive tackle Milton Williams. By releasing Diggs, the Patriots free up $16.8 million in cap space while creating $9.7 million in dead money.
In his one season with the Patriots, Diggs led the team in targets (102), receptions (85), and receiving yards (1,013). Amid questions about his effectiveness following an ACL tear in October 2024, Diggs finished as a finalist for the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award.
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The younger offensive players often praised Diggs for his veteran leadership, citing his motivational messages and impressive work ethic. Each week, Diggs delivered a fiery speech inside the huddle before kickoff.
“THANK YOU for a hell of a year,” Diggs wrote on social media. “We family forever.”
But the Patriots needed to retool their offense this offseason, after the unit fell flat for much of the playoffs. Diggs, who will turn 33 in November, appeared to be a possible cut candidate because of his contract situation, age, and off-field behavior.
After New England lost the Super Bowl in February, Diggs was arraigned in a local district court on charges of felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery, stemming from an alleged December incident involving his personal chef. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for April 1.
At the annual NFL scouting combine last week, executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf and coach Mike Vrabel remained noncommittal when asked about Diggs’s future with the Patriots.
In the week after the Super Bowl, Diggs said he expected to return to New England.
“Unless they opt out of the contract, I anticipate being here,” said Diggs. “I hope so. Love my guys. Hell of a year playing with them. We built some real family-like bonds, so I hope so. I don’t control it.”
The Patriots have Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, Kyle Williams, and Efton Chism under contract for the coming season. The staff is hopeful Williams, drafted in the third round last year, can take a leap in Year 2.
As of Wednesday, the Patriots were projected to open free agency with $39.3 million in cap space — the ninth-most in the league. The savings from releasing Diggs will not hit the books until the start of the new league year next Wednesday at 4 p.m.
Nicole Yang can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X @nicolecyang.
