The Patriots have informed wide receiver Stefon Diggs that they will release him at the start of the league year next week, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. Diggs took to Instagram to thank the Patriots on Wednesday.
It will be a one-and-done stint in New England for Diggs, who signed a three-year, $63.3MM deal with the team last spring. Diggs was then recovering from an October 2024 ACL tear that occurred during his lone year with the Texans. Also a former Viking and Bill, Diggs showed no ill effects from his injury last season.
Playing all 17 regular-season games, the four-time Pro Bowler ended up an integral part of a New England team that stunningly improved from 4-13 to 14-3 in 2025. The Patriots won the AFC East and advanced to Super Bowl LX, where they fell to the Seahawks, 29-13. The 32-year-old Diggs was MVP candidate Drake Maye‘s favorite option throughout the season. Diggs easily led the Patriots in receptions (85), targets (102) and yards (1,013). He also grabbed four touchdowns.
Diggs was less productive during the Pats’ four-game postseason run, in which he averaged just 7.9 yards on 14 receptions. His short Patriots tenure also included some unwanted off-field drama. A video of Diggs flashing an “unidentified pink substance” during a yacht party surfaced last May.
When asked about it, head coach Mike Vrabel said, “It’s something we’re aware of and obviously we want to make great decisions on and off the field.”
Diggs never received any punishment for that incident, and there was no further trouble for several months. However, that ended when a Dec. 2 incident involving Diggs came to light on Dec. 30. Diggs’ former personal chef told police he entered her unlocked bedroom during a financial dispute and “smacked her across the face.” She added that Diggs “tried to choke her using the crook of his elbow around her neck.”
Diggs pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of strangulation and a charge of misdemeanor assault and battery on Feb. 13. He is scheduled for a pretrial hearing on April 1. Depending on how the process plays out, Diggs could face disciplinary action from the league next season. The Patriots will no longer have to worry about a potential suspension for Diggs, though the loss of a seven-time 1,000-yard wideout will leave an obvious void in their receiving corps. Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown has come up as a potential trade target, but the Eagles’ asking price has been prohibitive to this point.
The Pats already have upward of $39MM in cap space. Cutting Diggs will give them more money to pursue help at receiver and other positions. Once his release becomes official, the Patriots will add $16.8MM in spending room at the cost of $9.7MM in dead cap. They will also avoid paying $6MM in base salary that would have vested on March 13.
More to come…
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