Stefon Diggs: Contract

[Gumby]

Huge has been in the "Cut Diggs" Camp for awhile. This is just him doing it again but being less obvious about it.

He's stating that he doesn't like ANY of our receivers in the pecking order he perceives it to be currently. He's in the Party of "Sign Alec Pierce regardless". He ignores that this past year was the first for Diggs, Boutte, Williams, Douglas and Chism. Diggs performed far beyond expectations especially coming back from his ACL.. Boutte was very good.. Douglas was ok. Williams and Chism did as expected as rookies. I fully expect all of them to improve upon last year because of their familiarity with the offense and with McDaniels as the OC.

I think it's very likely that they did limit the formations and number of snaps Diggs took during the year to limit the strain on his ACL. Getting 54% of the receiving snaps when you're rotating 4-5 guys seems about right. Hollins and Boutte got the most snaps because they were the WR on the field to block during running plays. Williams got some of those snaps when Hollins was out.

Douglas was the most affected by the additions of Diggs and Hollins, going from 62% of the snaps to just 28% of the snaps. He's someone whom the Pats might consider trading in the off-season to free up snaps for Williams and Chism. But that's really the only move at receiver I see them possibly doing except for a UDFA or two.

Ok. Thx.
I Get where you coming from now. ... Even if I disagree with your methodology (assuming intents per prior postings & then emoji based on that assumption rather than individual post content).

 

[mgteich]

It was $16.6 plus incentives.

You've added his salary twice.......

I would be on board if they could rewrite so this year's cap is not $26.5, but keeping Diggs at that number is ridiculous.

OK, so you don't include "bonuses" for being active and you don't count the salary guaranteed for 2026.

Focusing on the 2026 cap hit simply shows that you don't understand the cap. If that is your issue, Diggs can simply be sent a memo that $18M of his 2026 salary has been converted to a bonus. Then his 2026 cap will be reduced by $9M. $17.5 would then be his cap.

Would $17.5M be an Ok cap hit for Diggs.

 

[Family]

OK, so you don't include "bonuses" for being active and you don't count the salary guaranteed for 2026.

Focusing on the 2026 cap hit simply shows that you don't understand the cap. If that is your issue, Diggs can simply be sent a memo that $18M of his 2026 salary has been converted to a bonus. Then his 2026 cap will be reduced by $9M. $17.5 would then be his cap.

Would $17.5M be an Ok cap hit for Diggs.

I don't have a problem with incentives on a contract that can be pushed forward cap wise. And I don't care what the team actually lays out for money. For me and most fans the only thing that matters is cap hit.

You're talking about cash and I'm talking cap. What was the cap hit last year, and how much would it cost to get out of the contract (I know there's pre and post June considerations)? It looks like they can get out for 16.6 cap total plus the incentives he earned. That's all that matters to me.

Yes 17.5 is great as long as the hit next year for dead cap isn't enormous.

 

[mgteich]

I don't have a problem with incentives on a contract that can be pushed forward cap wise. And I don't care what the team actually lays out for money. For me and most fans the only thing that matters is cap hit.

You're talking about cash and I'm talking cap. What was the cap hit last year, and how much would it cost to get out of the contract (I know there's pre and post June considerations)? It looks like they can get out for 16.6 cap total plus the incentives he earned. That's all that matters to me.

Yes 17.5 is great as long as the hit next year for dead cap isn't enormous.

Ok, I understand. I'll make a couple of more comments and then end our discourse, since we have very, very different understandings of how NFL finances work.
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I strongly disagree with you and fans who think that what matters should be the current year cap hit. After watching cap management all these years, I am 100% sure that competent GM's do not agree with you.

Teams with competent management focus on cap management over many years, not on the current cap year, and certainly not the current cap hit of an individual player. Consider a player with an excellent 5-year market contract for each of 5 years based on AAV. The team and player then decided to put much of the salary into signing bonuses in years 1, 2 and 3. For you, the player is no longer worth keeping because of the cap management of the team (NOT because of his play). If the player and team had agreed to a totally flat cap hits of the 5 years, then the player would be worth keeping. To ME, that logic makes no sense at all.
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To me, the question regard Diggs is not about his 2026 cap hit, not at all. The question whether he is worth $21M a year.

 

[Family]

Ok, I understand. I'll make a couple of more comments and then end our discourse, since we have very, very different understandings of how NFL finances work.
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I strongly disagree with you and fans who think that what matters should be the current year cap hit.

Where did I say that?

Read what I said.

 

[TommyD4207]

To me, the question regard Diggs is not about his 2026 cap hit, not at all. The question whether he is worth $21M a year.

This is really the only question, and even the 21 million is sort of irrelevant.
Patriots are under the cap this season. They have money to spend. "Should we cut Diggs" is a question for next year - Other than people's biases against him personally (but they all seem to love Josh Allen for some reason) - cutting your best receiver, and production-wise, it wasn't even close, mind you, he was by *far* the best receiver on the team - there needs to be a plan in place beyond "We can save 17 million!"

Some of it is the anti-Diggs people, most of which was fueled by Josh Allen and his PR Crew in the media (who share the same agent, it's all right there for anyone to read), and some of it, scarily enough, is the 'We should trade for AJ Brown" people.

Who you would still need to spend draft capital on.

And pay more than you're paying for Diggs.

Who had, at best the *same* season Diggs just had, except Diggs was coming off an ACL...and makes substantially more money.

 

[Froob]

Agree. Diggs and Barmore's cases most likely nothingburgers that people overreact to. Almost always money plays that are resolved with a payout.

well...I don't know about that necessarily. But I'm not sure we'll see a serious punishment.

If evidence exists that Barmore's accuser claims exists, it would be pretty damning. But we'll have to see obviously.

 

[Family]

https://www.masslive.com/patriots/2026/02/stefon-diggs-future-with-the-patriots-what-happens-next.html

“You know, there are certain conversations that we’re having, and we’ll see what happens with everything.”


Hopefully they work everything out, but Diggs at 26M cap is not a slam dunk.