All offseason long, since the Patriots unexpectedly cut wide receiver Stefon Diggs one year into his three-year contract, there has been a lot of speculation about the veteran returning on a new deal, and about whether a trade for A.J. Brown was made or not.
That remains the case, even more than a week after Brown joined the team, and the rumors connecting Diggs to New England have only ramped up. Because there is plenty of reason for the Patriots to go all-in this year, especially coming off a Super Bowl appearance, re-signing Diggs makes a lot of sense.
And what we've heard from Mike Vrabel and Eliot Wolf has only reinforced that possibility, with both insisting the door remains open for the veteran to make his way back.
Diggs has even added to the conversation with his social media presence, on top of Kyle Williams opting out of switching his jersey number from 18 to 8. That fueled return rumors even more, but the Patriots' head coach just closed that door again, even if it is only for the time being.
Mike Vrabel closes the door on Stefon Diggs' return to the Patriots, but....
It seems to be a pattern at this point, and while the door seemed wide open for Diggs' return in recent days, that no longer appears to be the case.
HC Mike Vrabel on if the Patriots would bring back Stefon Diggs:
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) June 10, 2026
"I think we're happy with where we're at right now with the numbers and the people in the receiver room."
Added: "Right now, I don't think that that's something that I think we're exploring, but I would never say…
This is just the latest chapter in this never-ending book revolving around Diggs, an unfortunate development for Patriots fans who have been holding out hope that he would return for the 2026 season.
It certainly is still a possibility, especially since there haven't been many reports of other teams around the league taking a legitimate interest in signing him, so the Patriots are likely to remain a possibility.
But since the last time Wolf made it clear that Diggs could be back, this is the latest update from the organization on the matter, and we now know it's not something the team is actively pursuing at this point.
They have the cap space to make it happen, which is a good sign for those who will continue hoping it will be done. But it might be better not to hold your breath and assume that Diggs will suit up elsewhere in 2026, at least for right now.
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