The New England Patriots moved on from wide receiver Stefon Diggs this offseason. The wideout is still waiting for his next NFL opportunity.
In a perfect world, Pro Football Focus’s Bradley Locker sees it coming with the Washington Commanders.
On Thursday, Locker named the Commanders the ideal NFL free agency fit for Diggs.
“The Commanders’ receiving corps was sneakily one of the more dire going into the draft. Even after selecting Clemson’s Antonio Williams in the third round, Washington needs another reliable weapon for Jayden Daniels,” wrote Locker.
“Diggs was cut by the Patriots just one year into his lucrative contract, but his 2025 performance wasn’t the reason why. The 32-year-old was an anchor for New England’s upstart passing attack, ranking 10th among qualifiers in PFF receiving grade (82.6) and yards per route run (2.08) while dropping just 2.9% of his targets.
“Diggs will now play on his fourth squad in four years, but he’s been a remarkably consistent playmaker when healthy — earning at least a 77.6 receiving grade in every season of his career. With Terry McLaurin and Luke McCaffrey both appearing on under 500 snaps in 2025, Daniels would benefit from Diggs’ inside-outside skillset to lift the Commanders’ beleaguered group.”
In his lone season with the Patriots, Diggs posted 85 catches, 1,013 receiving yards and four touchdowns. During 2025, no other New England wide receiver had more than 551 receiving yards.
Could Stefon Diggs Sign With Washington Commanders?
The Commanders added Clemson wide receiver Antonio Williams at No. 71 overall in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft. But pundits have still linked Washington to a few different veteran receivers remaining on the free agent market.
There’s a lot of smoke around the Commanders potentially trading for San Francisco 49ers wideout Brandon Aiyuk. The team could also simply bring back last year’s leading receiver — Deebo Samuel.
With that in mind, Diggs is another target that could make sense. Even at 32 years old, Diggs has the potential to pair well with Commanders top wideout Terry McLaurin.
Diggs has eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in seven of the past eight seasons. In the lone campaign where he didn’t, he played in only eight games.
The veteran wideout has somewhat worn out his welcome at the past couple places where he played. Diggs spent just a year with the Patriots and Houston Texans.
But there really are only short-term options remaining for the Commanders in NFL wide receiver free agency. Diggs will also turn 33 in November. Even if he was the perfect solider, he has a short shelf life.
Patriots WR Depth Entering 2026 NFL Offseason Workouts
In New England, the Patriots replaced Diggs with Romeo Doubs during NFL free agency. The team is also still expected to acquire A.J. Brown from the Philadelphia Eagles.
That trade is supposed to happen after June 1.
Should that occur, Doubs and Brown will give the Patriots an upgraded receiver room even without Diggs.
It’s possible New England might also lose Kayshon Boutte. Before the 2026 NFL Draft, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported the young wideout “has come up” in trade negotiations.
A scenario exists where Boutte is included in the trade for Brown with the Eagles.
Even still, assuming the Brown trade happens, the Patriots should have a stronger receiving corps for quarterback Drake Maye during 2026.
New England also has veteran Mack Hollins at receiver on its roster. The Patriots added four undrafted wideouts to supplement its depth at the position as well.
Ex-Patriots’ Stefon Diggs Named Ideal Fit for NFC Foe