The New England Patriots won’t let gifted, young quarterback Drake Maye go into another season without a true No. 1 wide receiver. Not after they finally signed an All-Pro rival for big money in 2025 NFL free agency.
Former Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans standout Stefon Diggs officially got “a 3-year, up to $69M deal” on Tuesday, March 25, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Sources: The #Patriots are signing #Texans FA WR Stefon Diggs, one of the top free agents available. He gets a 3-year, up to $69M deal.
After a successful visit to NE, including a physical thanks to an ACL tear that ended his 2024, he lands to be a key target for Drake Maye.
That kind of money shows the Patriots are happy with the state of Diggs’ knee. The 31-year-old tore his ACL last season, but the Pats believe were obviously convinced about the pace and extent of his recovery after a lengthy recent visit with the four-time Pro Bowler.
Stefon Diggs Recovery Timeline a Boost for Patriots
The Patriots are right to be confident about Diggs’ status for the start of the 2025 campaign. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Diggs “is on track to return for Week 1 of the upcoming season.”
His availability will mean Maye has a true field-stretcher in the lineup. One who can still gain separation at multiple levels of the field.
If Diggs is anything close to full speed, he’ll finally give the Patriots a playmaker opposing teams should fear. That’s not unrealistic, even for a 10-year pro coming back from a serious injury.
Diggs was still performing at a high level through eight games for the Texans in 2024. He was averaging 10.6 yards per catch and had turned 31 of his 47 receptions into first downs, according to Pro Football Reference.
His yards before catch per reception declined to 6.6, the second-lowest tally of his career, but Diggs can still run coverage deep. The same trait will further open up the underneath areas for DeMario Douglas, who should have a key role as the slot specialist in returning offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ schemes.
McDaniels will likely build a new-look passing game from Diggs down. Maxmizing the latter’s talents with Maye’s natural arm talent.
It’s a potentially potent combination, but one the Patriots paid a premium to acquire.
Patriots Paid a Premium for Wide Receiver Help
The Patriots have waited an eternity for a marquee, go-to wideout, but it’s easy to see reasons for criticism of this deal. Particularly when it comes to the money involved, although they could hardly avoid overpaying after being rejected by a top target.
Schefter revealed terms that include $26 million in guaranteed cash. It’s a hefty amount for a player on the wrong side of 30 who missed more than half of last season.
The level of risk increases when Diggs’ injury record is taken into account. What the Patriots are doing is balancing the risk with reward. Namely, what Diggs can mean for Maye’s development when he’s able to connect with a bluechip receiver.
It’s a reasonable gamble after what Diggs meant for Texans second-year passer C.J. Stroud last season. As Schefter’s colleagues DJ Bien-Aime and Mike Reiss detailed, Stroud “had a passer rating of 104 and completed 73% of his passes when targeting Diggs.”
Those numbers bode well for Maye refining his mechanics and improving his efficiency in Year 2. The Patriots won’t win without Maye making strides this year, but progress is more likely after the franchise finally splashed the cash at a position left to rot for too long.
