According to Tom Pelissero, the Patriots have informed WR Stefon Diggs he will be released after the start of the new league year next week.
He’s due $22.5 million in 2026 and only $1.7 million of it is guaranteed, with another $6 million that was scheduled to be guaranteed on March 13.
New England waiting until next week is an indication the release will have a June 1 designation, which will save the Patriots $20.8 million in cap space.
This leaves a big hole at receiver for New England but it’s not clear that Diggs would have been a strong producer and worth the salary for the team going forward.
Patriots HC Mike Vrabel said after the Super Bowl loss that the team would have some hard decisions and this appears to have been one of them.
Diggs, 32, is a former fifth-round pick of the Vikings back in 2015. He was in the final year of his rookie contract when he agreed to a five-year extension worth $72 million with the Vikings in 2018
The Vikings traded Diggs to the Bills in 2020 for a package of draft picks, including a first-round selection.
Diggs was set to make base salaries of $11.775 million and $11.85 million over the final two years of his deal in 2022 and 2023 when Buffalo signed him to a four-year, $104 million extension.
He was due base salaries of $18.5 million and $18 million over the next two seasons when the Bills traded him to the Texans for a 2025 second-round pick. Houston reworked his contract to give him a raise and make him an unrestricted free agent in 2025.
Diggs played out that contract and signed a three-year, $60 million deal with the Patriots in 2025.
In 2025, Diggs appeared in all 17 games for the Patriots and recorded 85 catches on 102 targets for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns.
We’ll have more on Diggs as the news is available.
Looking for the latest NFL Insider News & Rumors?
Be sure to follow NFL Trade Rumors on X.com and FACEBOOK for breaking NFL News and Rumors for all 32 teams!
