The New England Patriots have finally landed a wide receiver. The club has agreed to a three-year contract with former Houston Texans wideout Stefon Diggs on Tuesday, CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones reports. The deal is worth $69 million and includes $26 million guaranteed, per ESPN.
This signing comes off the heels of Diggs making a free-agent visit to Foxborough to meet with the Patriots. The 31-year-old left the visit without putting pen to paper on a contract, but the two sides remained in touch and have now agreed to a deal that’ll make Diggs the newest weapon for second-year quarterback Drake Maye.
Of course, it remains to be seen how soon Diggs will get back onto the field as he continues to recover from a torn ACL he suffered in Week 8 in a game against the Indianapolis Colts. That cut Diggs’ lone season with the Texans short after they acquired him in a trade with the Buffalo Bills in April. As part of the deal, Diggs reworked his contract, which allowed him to hit free agency this offseason and ultimately end up in New England.
Diggs entered the league as a fifth-round draft choice of the Minnesota Vikings back in 2015. The Maryland product quickly emerged as a productive pass catcher within Minnesota’s offense and broke out with his first 100-catch, 1,000-yard season during his fourth year in the league in 2018. Then, in March of 2020, the Vikings struck a blockbuster trade with the Bills that sent Diggs to Buffalo and gave them a collection of picks, including a first-rounder that ended up being used on fellow wideout Justin Jefferson.
With the Bills and paired with Josh Allen, Diggs’ production reached an elite level. In his first season in Buffalo (2020), he led the NFL in receptions (127) and receiving yards (1,535) and kicked off what would be a four-year run of Pro Bowl nods. He was also named an All-Pro in two of his four seasons with the franchise.
As for New England, this has been a daunting process for the organization to find a receiver to place on the top end of its depth chart. This offseason, the club made a significant run at Chris Godwin before he ultimately re-signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and had been linked to other pass-catchers throughout the league, but to no avail.
Diggs now comes to the Patriots as the clear No. 1 receiver in a room consisting of Kendrick Bourne, DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, Ja’Lynn Polk, and Javon Baker. New England’s 2024 wide receiver room produced a combined 1,723 yards receiving last season, the fewest in the NFL. It’s now on Diggs to help the Patriots offense soar well past its 2024 season lows.
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Author: Tyler Sullivan
March 25, 2025 | 7:30 pm
