It seems like, when it came to who had the pulse of the AFC headed into the 2025 season, no one had a bead on who was going to be in the running more than New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs.
It appears Diggs, who signed a 3-year, $63.5 million free agent contract with the Patriots, saw his choices in free agency come down to the 2 teams squaring off in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game in the Patriots and the No. 1 seed Denver Broncos.
“For the New England Patriots, they are in the AFC title game, in part, on the strength of one of their big time free agent signings in wide receiver Stefon Diggs,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said on Sunday. “He has been a revelation and a potential NFL Comeback Player of the Year and it’s my understanding, in free agency, it came down to the Patriots and the Broncos.”
After tearing his ACL with the Houston Texans in 2024, Diggs returned in 2025 with 85 receptions for 1,013 yards and 4 touchdowns and served as the go-to target for second year quarterback and NFL MVP candidate Drake Maye.
Diggs has never played in a Super Bowl but came close during his time with the Buffalo Bills, where he lost in the AFC Championship Game to the Kansas City Chiefs following the 2020 season.
“Last time Stefon Diggs was in a Conference Championship, his Bills lost to the Chiefs,” Conqueror Sports wrote on X. “He stayed on the field after the game ended, watching them celebrate and letting the loss sink in. He is going to leave EVERYTHING out there Sunday to help the Patriots get to the Super Bowl.”
Diggs May Not Have Been Worth Headache
The Broncos may just need to count their blessings Diggs chose the Patriots over them, because history tells us the juice isn’t always worth the squeeze when it comes to the talented wide receiver.
Diggs has burned bridges at every stop in his NFL journey. He forced his way to the Bills after he turned on his first team, the Minnesota Vikings, then forced his way out of Buffalo after he publicly turned on NFL MVP quarterback Josh Allen.
That’s just the on-field stuff.
Diggs was videotaped partying on a boat with a bag of what appeared to be pink cocaine — also known as “Tusi” — this offseason.
“It’s something that we’re aware of,” Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said after the video went viral in May. “Obviously, we want to make great decisions on and off the field.”
More recently, Diggs is facing a felony charge of strangulation and a misdemeanor charge of assault for an alleged incident with a private chef on December 2.
From ESPN: “According to a police report, a woman went to police Dec. 16 and shared that she was working as a private chef on the date of the incident in question when Diggs entered her unlocked bedroom and allegedly smacked her across the face after they had discussed money owed to her. According to police, she said she attempted to push Diggs away when he allegedly tried to choke her with his elbow around her neck.”
Report: $63 Million Patriots WR Almost Chose Broncos in Free Agency