The New England Patriots have operated as if the relationship with their top in-house free agent, wide receiver Stefon Diggs, is severed all offseason. However, folks in Foxborough have been given a far-fetched reason to believe a reunion isn't completely dead, albeit unlikely.
As silly as it may sound, Patriots second-year wideout Kyle Williams keeping his jersey number instead of taking Diggs' as previously expected has drawn attention. Whether there's any correlation between this development and the latter's prospects of landing back in New England remains unclear, but it can't hurt, right?
Mike Kadlick of Sports Illustrated isn't putting much stock into the speculation, yet he also isn't shutting the door on Diggs returning to New England.
"Look, I'm not putting it as a zero [percent] chance that Diggs returns to the Patriots next season," Kadlick stated (via the Patriots Daily Podcast). "I think it could happen. ... But it's now kind of crowded, there's a lot of mouths to feed in the [receiver] room, and ultimately I just don't think it's going to happen."
Patriots insider remains skeptical about Stefon Diggs reunion
New England has several guys who figure to command the ball at a high rate, as Kadlick highlighted. That includes veteran pass-catcher Romeo Doubs, who the club signed to a four-year, $68 million contract in March. A wealth of options makes Diggs more of a luxury than a necessity — one that might be more trouble than he's worth.
Is Diggs willing to take on a lesser role? He famously left the Minnesota Vikings partly because of concerns over his involvement (or lack thereof). The four-time Pro Bowler experienced a similar flameout with the Buffalo Bills before a brief pitstop with the Houston Texans led him to New England.
Not to mention, there's the A.J. Brown-sized elephant in the room. The Patriots remain heavily connected to the Philadelphia Eagles star, who's widely expected to be traded on or after June 1. Can he and Diggs, two of the NFL's most mercurial players, coexist?
Nevertheless, Diggs was recently found not guilty of assaulting a private chef over a pay dispute. His exoneration clears the way for him to join a team, even if it's not the Patriots.
Diggs was a critical piece of New England's AFC Championship victory and trip to Super Bowl LX in 2025. He became the first Patriots receiver to clear the 1,000-yard mark (1,013) since Julian Edelman accomplished the feat in 2019.
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