The New England Patriots have made some tweaks to the roster this offseason, and it started before free agency even kicked off. The Patriots decided to part ways with receiver Stefon Diggs, largely due to his cap hit jumping from $10.5 million to a whopping $26.5 million had he remained on the roster.
Instead, the Patriots released Diggs, saving $16.8 million in the process. With New England adding Romeo Doubs, closing the door on this chapter, Diggs remains a free agent, and it looks like that will continue throughout April.
Stefon Diggs Sitting in FA Will Likely Continue in April
In his lone season in New England, Diggs was the go-to option in the passing game for Drake Maye. He finished with team highs in targets (102), catches (85), receiving yards (1,013), and receiving yards per game (59.6). Before this 1,000-yard campaign, Julian Edelman was the last Patriots receiver to accomplish that feat way back in 2019.
Regardless, it wasn't enough to keep him in town, and it doesn't seem like Diggs will be getting signed in April either. The 2026 draft is scheduled for April 23-25, giving all 32 teams in the league a chance to add some young talent on cost-controlled contracts. With the college game changing over the last couple of years, there are a lot more WRs who can make an impact on Day 1 after being drafted. And they would do so at more than half the cost of veterans in free agency.
With teams set to focus on the draft, Diggs is a player who will likely stay on the market. Spotrac projects that Diggs will get a deal in the market of $13.8 million. But for a receiver who is 32 years old, his best days could be behind him. Teams aren't going to be in a hurry to add an older WR at this point in the offseason, with examining whether they can fill those voids in the draft serving as a more likely path forward.
When the draft is over, teams will return to the free agent market to see if there's anyone who fits. Until then, Diggs is a veteran who can be expected to be available. Especially since nothing happened during the first or second wave of free agency in March.
It seems like teams aren't in a rush to sign Diggs, but that doesn't mean he won't land elsewhere. It just doesn't appear to be happening soon. The former Maryland product can still be a productive player in the NFL, but as each day passes, it seems like he'll be an addition for a team post-draft, meaning he'll be on the market for several more weeks.