The New England Patriots have their No. 1 receiver. Sure, it's an aging one coming off an ACL injury, but hey, the team is finally starting to put some respectable weapons around Drake Maye.
The Patriots probably keyed in on Tee Higgins as their top choice at the start of the offseason. But Higgins opted to stay in Cincinnati, leaving New England with a receiver vacancy still. Now, Maye can turn to Stefon Diggs as his go-to target.
That alone is a massive win for the Pats, who hold the No. 4 pick in the 2025 NFL draft and now don’t have the pressure to reach for a receiver that high. While Travis Hunter is still in play – though the New York Giants could be interested in Hunter after taking themselves out of the Shedeur Sanders sweepstakes by signing Russell Wilson – the Patriots now have options.
It’s looking like one of Abdul Carter or Hunter will be available for New England, which is perfect for a team that has a lot of needs, a lot of cap space and a high draft pick. That said, how much more does Diggs have left in the tank? He is a 31-year-old receiver coming off a major knee injury. Can he realistically still play at an elite level and good enough to elevate this Patriots offense?
NFL free agency grade: Did the Patriots overpay for Stefon Diggs?
The Patriots were obviously not leaving free agency or the NFL draft without finding their new No. 1 receiver. And it didn’t make too much sense to look to the latter, as the team has struggled with evaluating receiver talent in the draft in recent years
It also now seems a bit overzealous to pay Diggs nearly $70 million over three years, considering he’s old and coming off a major knee injury. Sure, there aren't a ton of guarantees involved, and this is probably the best available option at this point in the offseason. But even then, it bears repeating that this is a significant commitment that comes with significant risk.
The Patriots could have been graded an A- for the free agency pick up had they not overpaid in my opinion, but a B- is still sufficient, considering they took care of a major need. That’s what free agency is all about.
Diggs had a streak of six straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons leading into 2024. In eight games before he got hurt last year, he had almost 500 receiving yards and three touchdowns for the Houston Texans.
New England’s work is far from over though. They still have holes to patch on both sides of the ball. They still need another receiver in this offense and an upgrade in the pass rush. The good thing is there’s still time to handle all of that, and cheaply as well.
Drake Maye has his top target. Now he doesn’t have any excuses to not build on his rookie season. Diggs is more of a bridge option for now, but it could still yield enough results to get New England back in contention in the AFC East.
Grade: B-