A Stefon Diggs Release Is Reportedly on the Table
Stefon Diggs has been one of the best wideouts in the NFL throughout the last decade. After starting in Minnesota, he hit his prime in Buffalo and spent last year in Houston. His new stint started earlier this offseason when he signed a three-year deal with the Patriots, but he is already on thin ice.
A Stefon Diggs Release Is Reportedly on the Table
The flashy receiver appeared in the news when a video surfaced showing him on a boat. Jimmy Golen from AP News wrote Thursday: “Diggs, who has been linked to hip-hop star Cardi B this offseason, is shown in a video on social media talking to three women on a boat before he produces a bag of pink crystals. It’s not clear what the pink substance was.”
Patriots’ new head coach Mike Vrabel commented about the incident: “It’s something we’re aware of and obviously we want to make great decisions on and off the field,…Any conversations that I’ve had with Stefon will remain between him and I and the club.”
No fine or comparable punishment has been announced yet.
Release?
The ultimate penalty would certainly be if he were shown the door, and that rumor has been out there.
Scott Zolak of Boston’s 98.5 The Sports Hub thinks the release is on the table.
“I came to this show yesterday with the opinion — not opinion, but the knowledge that it is on the table,” Zolak said on Zolak & Bertrand of Diggs’ potential release. “That it is being thought of. And it’s not just the boat. It’s not just the boat. There are some other things that I’ve heard that put some things in question. Are you all-in here?”
Diggs has always been a controversial figure. He once skipped practice when he was on the Vikings, and it sparked the entire trade saga, in addition to costing him some serious cash.
More from Zolak: “The videos look great of him working out. I’ve touted the videos. I know you need diva receivers. I say he shouldn’t be cut, because I think he would help Drake Maye and this offense and Josh McDaniels, because you would have a true viable guy that would set coverage. Right now, you still don’t have a guy who sets coverage. I’m sorry.”
Diggs has been posting videos on social media of himself working out all offseason. He is recovering from a torn ACL suffered halfway through last season. It is his first major injury absence in the NFL.
About that Release
The Patriots signed Diggs after the first wave of free agency had already passed. They still needed someone to make plays in an offense that clearly lacked receiving talent in Drake Maye’s first season, and having solid pass-catchers is crucial for any young quarterback. With all due respect, Kayshon Boutte, DeMario Douglas, and Kendrick Bourne just aren’t WR1s.
Except for some extreme cases, such things in the NFL always boil down to whether a player is good or not. A backup probably wouldn’t survive a video like that, but the Patriots need Diggs on the field. Fair or not, that’s the NFL.
And then there’s a salary problem. He signed a three-year deal worth $63 million with a $12 million signing bonus and a reported $16.6 million in guarantees at signing. The Patriots would have to eat $8.6 million in dead cap this year and another $8 million next season. It’s still doable, but Patriots fans would wonder if it is really smart to get rid of the best receiver despite still having to pay him.
Diggs’ Career
Diggs was a 2015 fifth-rounder out of the University of Maryland. It took him a few weeks to enter the rotation, and he made his NFL debut in Week 4 of his rookie campaign, producing six catches for 87 yards.
Throughout his rookie season, he showed flashes and finished the year with 720 yards and four touchdowns. A year later, he and Adam Thielen emerged as a promising one-two punch, and he tabulated 903 yards and three scores. In the magical 2017 season with Case Keenum, Diggs scored eight times and generated 849 yards, as well as the legendary Minneapolis Miracle.
With Kirk Cousins’ arrival, he finally eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark, doing it twice in 2018 and 2019, while adding 15 touchdown catches. Following the 2019 season, Diggs wanted out, and the Vikings shipped him to Buffalo for picks that would turn into Justin Jefferson and Cam Bynum.
In Buffalo, he developed a wonderful connection with Josh Allen and became an elite pass-catcher, including a league lead in catches and yards in 2020. In his four seasons in Buffalo, Diggs averaged 1,343 yards and nine touchdowns per season, establishing himself as an elite wideout. He went to the Pro Bowl all four years.
In the 2024 offseason, he was sent to Houston in exchange for a second-rounder that Houston acquired from a trade with the Vikings. That trade ultimately landed Dallas Turner. The Texans might regret the deal, as a torn ACL cost him all but nine games.
Diggs will turn 32 in the upcoming season, and he needs to dial back some diva tendencies if he wants to extend his career.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.
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