The start of free agency is just a few days away, but the Patriots have already started to make some big-time moves, with the first being the decision to release wide receiver Stefon Diggs just one season into his three-year contract.
Although subtle hints seemed to point in this direction, it's a bit of a shocking move by a team in need of help at wide receiver, especially since Diggs took on a significant role on and off the field for the offense in 2025.
This move gets them off the hook for the guaranteed money he was due when the new league year began, and now they can use that saved cap space on other positions of need, or big-name players who fit what they're trying to build with their roster.
The Patriots informed four-time Pro Bowl WR Stefon Diggs they’re releasing him after the start of the league year next week, per sources. pic.twitter.com/cRKS8pJw9G
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 4, 2026
The Patriots move on from Stefon Diggs and create a new big hole on their offense in the process
When the Patriots chose to sign Diggs last offseason, it was an attempt to give Drake Maye the WR1 he lacked during his rookie season. For much of 2025, Diggs was exactly what the offense and the quarterback needed, but his inconsistent production made it easy to predict they might already choose to move on.
Besides that, his ongoing court case was a stain on his reputation, and it's possible the Patriots were unwilling to take that on and deal with the potential repercussions that they couldn't predict.
On top of it all, Diggs was widely considered a band-aid fix for the wide receiver issue the team has been dealing with for several years, and they might view this offseason as the best time to finally address it fully and get a younger player in the door, whether that's with someone like Alec Pierce or a rookie from the incoming class.
Regardless, the Diggs experiment is over now, and they'll need to figure out how to replace his production, as well as his leadership in the locker room.