The Patriots went into the 2025 offseason needing to put together a multi-pronged plan to raise the talent level on the entire roster, a difficult feat to pull off. That’s mostly because the poor drafts and signings from the tail end of the Bill Belichick era and the brief Jerod Mayo dalliance left the cupboards so bare in so many key areas for New England.
Wide receiver was, clearly, one area the team wanted to upgrade. The team was unsuccessful in its bid to land top target Chris Godwin, who took less money to stay in Tampa Bay, but was able to add Plan B: rehabbing star Stefon Diggs.
Diggs had six straight 1,100-yard seasons and was likely on his way to another before he suffered the ACL injury in 2024. But he was not the team’s first choice. Given the lack of depth on the free-agent market and the need for experience at the position in the team’s wide-receiver room, though, it’s unlikely they could have done much better.
Still, given Diggs’ injury–which came in late October and could keep him out to start the 2025 season–and his history of hot-headedness, he is a gamble.
Patriots Had Other Risky Options
At Bleacher Report, they’re seeing Diggs as one of the riskiest gambles on the board in this NFL offseason–No. 3, in fact, after two big quarterback moves, Sam Darnold to Seattle and Aaron Rodgers to Pittsburgh. Writer Kristopher Knox notes that Diggs is expensive (three years, $63 million) and possibly in decline.
The site notes that the Patriots had other directions they could have taken at receiver, including Deebo Samuel and DK Metcalf. But Samuel is not a No. 1 receiver and is in even steeper decline than Diggs. And Metcalf required a trade (a second-round pick went to Seattle) plus a much more expensive contract (four years, $132 million with $60 million guaranteed).
Diggs was actually less risky than either of those players.
Still, Knox writes, “If Diggs cannot regain his Pro Bowl form, he could become a pricey bust for the Patriots. New England isn’t expected to be playoff-relevant in 2025—which may be why it needed to spend so lavishly to attract an aging, injured receiver. However, helping Maye develop into a capable NFL starter will be a very important goal. If he can’t show growth in Year 2, it could lead to some serious questions entering Year 3.”
Stefon Diggs Bonding With Drake Maye
Of course, the Patriots and their fans would raise an eyebrow at the notion that they will not be playoff relevant in 2025. His contract is only guaranteed for $25 million, and they can wriggle out of the deal after this year if he is, in fact, a bust–he is not all that pricey in the end, then.
Moreover, the Patriots needed a true WR1 for quarterback Drake Maye, and Diggs qualifies.
Last week, Maye addressed his relationship with Diggs, and he revealed that the Patriots actually have the duo sitting next to each other in the locker room.
“He seems like an awesome teammate,” Maye said. “He’s my next door, to my locker—lockermates, he is one down, beside me. We talk all the time. He is a veteran in this league, he has made a lot of plays. He has played in a lot of big-time games. So just an awesome voice for the receiver room, for this offense.
“He has had some big games and I think once he kind of recovers and is able to get back out there, I am looking forward to, you know, being able to throw him some footballs and just, it’s always good to have a guy like that on your team.”
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