Patriots Stefon Diggs is looking to get back on track after suffering an ACL injury in October 2024.

By Conor Ryan

March 25, 2025

The Patriots reportedly have a new No. 1 target for Drake Maye. 

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Patriots are signing veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs to a three-year, $69 million contract — with $26 million guaranteed.

Diggs’ arrival in Foxborough will be a welcome sight for Drake Maye and the Patriots — who have not had a wide receiver post a 1,000-yard season since Julian Edelman accomplished the feat in 2019.

But despite Diggs’ impressive track record during his previous stops in Minnesota, Buffalo, and Houston, there are a few question marks regarding Diggs’ and the type of impact he will generate in Foxborough for 2025 and beyond. 

Here are five things to know about New England’s new top wideout: 

The numbers speak for themselves when it comes to Diggs and his extended track record of shredding opposing secondaries. 

The 31-year-old has held court as one of the most productive wideouts in recent memory — using his crisp route-running to routinely rack up yardage over the years. 

From 2018-23, Diggs recorded six consecutive 1,000-yard seasons while earning four Pro Bowl nods and two All-Pro selections. 

His arrival in Buffalo saw Josh Allen and the Bills establish themselves as a top contender in the AFC — with Diggs recording 445 catches for 5,372 yards and 37 touchdowns over his four years there. 

Over that stretch, Diggs became one of just four players in NFL history to post four straight seasons with 100-plus receptions — joining Antonio Brown, Davante Adams, and Marvin Harrison. 

Diggs’ most memorable moment to date in his NFL came in January 2018 during a game now dubbed as the “Minneapolis Miracle”. 

With the Vikings trailing the Saints, 24-23, in the final minute of play in an NFC Divisional playoff game, Minnesota QB Case Keenum hit Diggs for a 27-yard reception on the final play of the game.

New Orleans safety Marcus Williams missed the subsequent tackle against Diggs along the sideline, allowing the wideout to run unopposed for the remaining 61 yards en route to the game-winning touchdown.  

Even though Diggs is likely entering the latter stages of his career, the veteran impressed last season with the Houston Texans. 

Before suffering a knee injury on Oct. 27, Diggs appeared in eight games with the Texans — reeling in 47 catches for 496 yards and three touchdowns. At that stage in the season, Diggs ranked seventh in the NFL in catches (47) and was second on the Texans in receiving yards (496). 

Even with his injury, Diggs’ baseline production was still impressive last season in Houston — as he was on pace for 100 catches for 1,054 yards and six touchdowns over the course of a 17-game season. 

As noted by CLNS Media’s Taylor Kyles, only Tampa Bay’s Chris Godwin posted more receiving conversions (32) than Diggs (31) over the first eight weeks of the 2024 season.

Diggs’ stop-and-start acceleration might have tailed off a bit, but his route-running still makes him a potent playmaker — with Patriots.com’s Evan Lazar acknowledging that Diggs ranked second among 116 qualified receivers in ESPN’s receiver score metric last season. 

But it remains to be seen if Diggs can replicate that production moving forward — given how his 2024 season ended. 

Diggs’ promising campaign in Houston ended abruptly when he suffered a torn ACL on Oct. 27 — sidelining him for the remainder of the year. 

Diggs’ initial meeting with the Patriots last week was reportedly characterized as a “get to know you” while allowing the Patriots to see where the receiver was medically, per Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz.

The Patriots were apparently pleased with Diggs’ recovery, given the three-year contract they doled out this week — albeit with only a portion of that $69 million payout guaranteed. 

It remains to be seen what Diggs’ availability will be moving forward — with an ACL injury potentially sidelining wideouts for close to a year. 

Patriots receiver Kendrick Bourne tore his ACL on Oct. 29, 2023, with the veteran starting the 2024 season on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. He did not return to game action until Week 5 of the 2024 season.

But even with those projected recovery timelines, Schefter reported on Tuesday that Diggs is “on track to return for Week 1 of the upcoming season.” 

Per Schefter, Diggs’ accelerated recovery was “another reason the Patriots felt comfortable giving Diggs the three-year, $69 million deal” struck between New England and the wideout’s camp.

While Diggs’ veteran presence should be welcomed on what was a rudderless Patriots wideout room in 2024, the All-Pro talent does have some baggage when it comes to his previous exits from both the Vikings and Bills. 

Diggs expressed displeasure with the Vikings’ offensive schemes prior to getting moved to Buffalo.

“The [Vikings] were kind of gearing towards a run-heavy [offense] at that time. I didn’t know it going in. I didn’t know it was going to be that way. They only would allow me to do so much. In my eyes, it wasn’t going to be in the best interest of my career,” Diggs said on Sunday Night Football in December 2020. 

Even as Diggs continued to torch defenses with the Bills, his emphasis on getting a steady dose of targets from Allen and potential tensions brewing between him and the QB eventually led to Buffalo moving him in April 2024. 

“Stefon Diggs wore out the Buffalo Bills,” The Athletic’s Tim Graham noted shortly after the Diggs’ deal was struck. 

While Diggs’ reputation as a demanding star receiver does raise some concerns stepping into a younger Patriots locker room, several reports tabbed the veteran as a reliable resource with a young Houston Texans roster last year.

“He’s somebody who loves the game and doesn’t cheat it, and that’s why he’s been successful, and I think he’ll continue that success,” Texans QB C.J. Stroud said of Diggs in July 2024. “I’m blessed enough to, hopefully, be a part of that. That’s some things that just stuck out to me. Just how personable he is, how relatable he is.”

“I loved him,” one Vikings staffer who worked with Diggs told NBC Sports Boston’s Phil Perry last week. “He was a handful, but he could play. You only get to complain if you can produce, and I would think he gets that now.”

While the Patriots will relish having an established pass-catcher in Diggs now on their roster, they are also likely relieved that they won’t have to match up against him for the next few years. 

Over his four seasons in Buffalo, Diggs appeared in nine total games against the Patriots (playoffs included). During that stretch, Diggs reeled in 53 catches for 713 yards and seven touchdowns against New England.

Diggs continued to be a thorn in the side of the Patriots last season in Houston before his injury — catching six passes for 77 yards and a touchdown in the Texans’ 41-21 win at Gillette Stadium. 

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