Getty Could the Patriots make a move for Stefon Diggs?
The New England Patriots desperately need another threat at wide receiver. According to Colin Cowherd, that should be Stefon Diggs.
As the Fox Sports host detailed, the Patriots “should go out and get Stefon Diggs.” Cowherd notes how the Patriots should trade a first-round draft selection for the Minnesota Vikings receiver. He also mentions how Diggs would finally give Tom Brady a deep threat and make New England’s entire receiving core that much better.
“I think the Patriots should go out and get Stefon Diggs. Stefon Diggs is unhappy in Minnesota. Minnesota would love to have a second pick. They need to get a quarterback to replace Kirk Cousins in one year. They also have two good tight ends, a star running back, Adam Thielen. They have a very good defensive roster. They draft well.”
“I think it would solve everything. Tom would have a deep threat, now Edelman could be your two, Mohamed Sanu could be your three, N’Keal Harry could be your four. That’s a pretty good receiving core. That solves a lot of issues.”
Could Patriots Trade Top Draft Pick for Diggs?
As much as New England values their draft picks, it’s not unheard of for the franchise to send draft picks for veteran wide receivers via trade. The Patriots sent a fourth-round draft selection for Randy Moss back in 2007. They also traded a second-round and seventh-round pick for Wes Welker in the same offseason.
Considering Brady is a free agent and the Patriots need to add weapons to entice the veteran quarterback to re-sign, this wouldn’t be a bad move by any means.
Diggs is one of the top deep threats in the league, posting 17.9 yards per reception this past season — fourth in the NFL. For perspective, Julian Edelman posted 11.2 yards per reception and Jakobi Meyers had the highest yards per reception of any Pats wideout by season’s end, posting 13.8 yards per catch.
As Cowherd argues, Brady would finally have his deep threat in Diggs. He would also have his reliable possession receiver in Edelman and nice depth with Mohamed Sanu and N’Keal Harry as the receivers right behind.
Brady Values Weapons More Than Money
As Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston details in a recent article, the 42-year-old quarterback is a lot more concerned with his offensive personnel than he is his salary for the 2020 season.
Reiterating what I’ve previously reported but have had again mentioned, the “Patriots are willing to go north of $30M” report wasn’t something either side loved.
For the Patriots, it created a false expectation before any negotiations began and, from the perspective of the Brady camp, it missed the point of what his main issue is.
Also, while negotiations haven’t begun, the team is plotting a course for adding players that fit Brady’s strengths to help on offense whether through free agency or trade. Tight end is a position of emphasis.
This excerpt makes a potential acquisition of a player such as Diggs even more important. It’s worth noting that the five-year veteran took down all Instagram posts involving the Vikings. In other words, it just further increased trade speculation — a lot of which involves the Patriots.
We’ll see if the Patriots pursue Diggs. If they can somehow pull off a deal for the big-play wide receiver, it can only help in convincing Brady to return for a 21st season in New England.
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