{"id":65929,"date":"2026-03-04T16:26:33","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T21:26:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=65929"},"modified":"2026-03-05T10:04:36","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T15:04:36","slug":"patriots-part-ways-with-diggs-ahead-of-free-agency-adds-a-key-need-at-wr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/03\/04\/patriots-part-ways-with-diggs-ahead-of-free-agency-adds-a-key-need-at-wr\/","title":{"rendered":"Patriots Part Ways With Diggs Ahead of Free Agency, Adds a Key Need at WR"},"content":{"rendered":"

Heading into 2026, the goal will be for the Patriots to take another step forward coming off of their impressive 14-3 finish.<\/p>\n

However, for that to happen, it looks like changes are already on the way on offense.<\/p>\n

According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, the team has informed wide receiver Stefon Diggs that he’ll be released at the start of the new league year<\/strong><\/a>, which ends his tenure in New England after just one season.<\/p>\n

The biggest deciding factor is likely financially driven, with Diggs’ cap charge jumping from $10.5 million to $26.5 million in 2026.\u00a0 After signing with the team last offseason, it felt like anything beyond 2025 would require the club to rework the veteran’s contract, but it appears they’ll explore other options.<\/p>\n

Diggs is coming off a season in which he finished with over 1,000 yards receiving, catching 85 passes for 1,013 yards and 4 touchdowns.\u00a0 He’s the first Patriots receiver to accomplish that feat since Julian Edelman finished with 100 receptions for 1,117 yards and six touchdowns during the regular season in 2019.<\/p>\n

But in the postseason, while he led the team in receptions with 14 for 110 yards and a touchdown, he averaged just 7.9 yards per reception, the lowest among all players with six or more playoff receptions.<\/p>\n

That’s not conducive to a contract like the one Diggs carried, and the toughest takeaway was how badly New England struggled on offense.\u00a0 Despite a ferocious pass rush from Seattle in the Super Bowl, one other issue was that what little time Drake Maye had saw too many tight windows and not enough separation from his receivers.<\/p>\n

The Patriots needed someone to make a play, and Diggs didn’t come through. He finished with 3 catches for 37 yards, two of which came in the fourth quarter when the game was out of hand.<\/p>\n

That was the fourth-lowest total for that game, with Diggs coming in behind Mack Hollins (4 receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown), Demario Douglas (5 catches, 45 yards), and Rhamondre Stevenson (5 receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown).<\/p>\n

Diggs posted a goodbye to Patriots fans<\/strong><\/a>, confirming the news, saying, “THANK YOU for a hell of a year.\u00a0 We family forever.”<\/p>\n

\n

\"Stefon<\/p>\n

(PHOTO: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images)<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Off-Field Issues Likely Played a Role<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Diggs’ off-the-field issues likely didn’t help.\u00a0 He\u2019s currently facing charges after pleading not guilty earlier this month to felony strangulation and other criminal charges involving his personal chef.\u00a0 The team has stood behind him, and head coach Mike Vrabel reiterated last week that they had planned to monitor the situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want our players to make great decisions,\u201d\u00a0said Vrabel last week<\/strong><\/a>. \u201cAnd again, we\u2019ve tried to support those players that have some things that have come up, whether those are accusations. We\u2019re going to let the legal process run its course, just like we said before.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then those players, whether that\u2019s Stefon or anybody else that has something, has done exactly what they\u2019re supposed to do, be where they\u2019re supposed to be, communicate with the court when they\u2019re supposed to communicate with them. We\u2019re going to let all that take care of itself, and then we\u2019ll have to see what the judgments are in those particular cases.\u201d<\/p>\n

Diggs reportedly denied the allegations to the point where his attorney doesn\u2019t expect his client to accept a plea deal.\u00a0 His next hearing is set for the beginning of April.<\/p>\n

In addition to his current case, Diggs was involved in another lawsuit where he\u2019s being sued for defamation related to another former employee who was assaulted after a theft involving a Ferrari apparently owned by Diggs.\u00a0 After the theft, which apparently came while the victim was responsible for transporting the vehicle, he was allegedly beaten by two men said to be associated with Diggs<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 That added another legal issue for the Patriots receiver, with trouble seemingly following him more than the club would probably like.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Mike<\/p>\n

(PHOTO: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images)<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Other issues with Diggs popped up throughout the season, with his tumultuous relationship with rapper Cardi B also being another distraction.\u00a0 Diggs fathered not only her child but was also involved with another woman who also gave birth to a child that is said to be Diggs’, which added another sidebar that played out publicly.\u00a0 The two apparently also had a falling-out after the Super Bowl, adding even more drama to that story.<\/p>\n

Given the investment, the return didn’t seem to be enough for the club to take the gamble on extending him.\u00a0 The fact Diggs is about to turn 33 also works against him, since the likelihood of him repeating what he did in 2025 is also lower.\u00a0 As would be the case in 2027 and beyond.<\/p>\n

For now, the Patriots will have to explore other options, which could include a possible trade with Philadelphia for A.J. Brown, with whom Vrabel has a history, having coached him in Tennessee, or potentially another move in free agency.<\/p>\n

Vrabel said last week that when it comes to finding a top target, finding one in free agency usually isn’t an option, and that the draft might be another avenue.<\/p>\n

“They\u2019re not going to be there in free agency,” said Vrabel<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 “But you have to try to draft them. I think that\u2019s where a lot of them are.”<\/p>\n

“You develop them. Some of them develop. Guys, that transition in that position from year one to year two can be pretty special.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Releasing Stefon Diggs, the Patriots address financial and on-field concerns, creating a significant wide receiver need ahead of free agency.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":64989,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23593],"tags":[2210,24232,23466,802,17,664,1967,24367,23933,8,23986,1865,1909,24043],"class_list":["post-65929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-patriots-transactions","tag-a-j-brown","tag-contract","tag-drake-maye","tag-free-agency","tag-julian-edelman","tag-mike-vrabel","tag-nfl-draft","tag-off-field-issues","tag-offense","tag-patriots","tag-postseason","tag-stefon-diggs","tag-super-bowl","tag-wide-receiver"],"yoast_head":"\nPatriots Part Ways With Diggs Ahead of Free Agency, Adds a Key Need at WR<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Releasing Stefon Diggs, the Patriots address financial and on-field concerns, creating a significant wide receiver need ahead of free agency.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/03\/04\/patriots-part-ways-with-diggs-ahead-of-free-agency-adds-a-key-need-at-wr\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Patriots Part Ways With Diggs Ahead of Free Agency, Adds a Key Need at WR | PatsFans.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Releasing Stefon Diggs, the Patriots address financial and on-field concerns, creating a significant wide receiver need ahead of free agency.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/03\/04\/patriots-part-ways-with-diggs-ahead-of-free-agency-adds-a-key-need-at-wr\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"PatsFans.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pfans\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-04T21:26:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-05T15:04:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/USATSI_28084787_168390408_lowres.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ian Logue\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ianlogue\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@patsfans\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/04\\\/patriots-part-ways-with-diggs-ahead-of-free-agency-adds-a-key-need-at-wr\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/04\\\/patriots-part-ways-with-diggs-ahead-of-free-agency-adds-a-key-need-at-wr\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ian Logue\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2785562a57e86e99346895c90e0f5459\"},\"headline\":\"Patriots Part Ways With Diggs Ahead of Free Agency, Adds a Key Need at WR\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-04T21:26:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-05T15:04:36+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/04\\\/patriots-part-ways-with-diggs-ahead-of-free-agency-adds-a-key-need-at-wr\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":917,\"commentCount\":1,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/04\\\/patriots-part-ways-with-diggs-ahead-of-free-agency-adds-a-key-need-at-wr\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/USATSI_28084787_168390408_lowres.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"A.J. 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