Houston Texans wide receiver Stefon Diggs is entering free agency this offseason following a very disappointing 2024 season. Diggs was moved from the Buffalo Bills to the Texans during the 2023 offseason and it seemed as though the star wideout was primed for a big year with C.J. Stroud under center for the Texans.
Diggs would gather 47 catches for 496 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns for the Texans before suffering a torn ACL which would sideline him for the rest of the year. This ended a streak of six consecutive seasons of at least 1,000 receiving yards for Diggs. He played just eight games in 2024 and seemed on his way to another 1,000-yard campaign if he could have stayed healthy.
Now a free agent, Diggs is surrounded by question marks. At 31 years old, is he still going to be the wide receiver he was before the injury? Only time will tell.
There's still a good chance that Diggs wants to run it back with Stroud and company as a member of the Texans next season. But if Diggs opts to leave Houston and head elsewhere, which teams would be the top landing spots for the former All-Pro pass catcher?
3. Los Angeles Chargers
There are quite a few teams across the league who could be looking for the services of a former All-Pro wide receiver. But the Los Angeles Chargers could emerge as a dark horse for Diggs. Head Coach Jim Harbaugh is looking to take the Chargers to the Super Bowl and an addition like Diggs would certainly push them in the right direction.
The Chargers have a questionable wide receiver core, especially with Quinten Johnston experiencing problems with drops down the stretch of the 2024 campaign. Still, Justin Herbert and the Harbaugh offense looked solid to good with flashes of excellence. The addition of Diggs would give the team a potential WR1 while also saving some money to spend elsewhere. They would also be betting that the former All-Pro returns from injury without losing a step.
Harbaugh is likely to take that risk if the front office would allow it. Adding Diggs would give the team a more efficient pass catcher who could handle a much more diverse route tree compared to Johnston and company. Johnston could still stretch the defense as a deep threat, but Diggs would be the better option for the team.
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
When looking at just about every free agent wide receiver this offseason, one team will continuously come to mind: the Pittsburgh Steelers and legendary head coach Mike Tomlin. Pittsburgh has been rumored to be interested in just about every wide receiver who's landed on the trade block including Cooper Kupp, Davante Adams, and Brandon Aiyuk. Based on that, they'll be connected to the top free agent wideouts too.
Pittsburgh struggled tremendously with depth at the position in 2024. Not only did they struggle with depth, but they didn't have much talent at the top of the wide receiver room either. It was George Pickens followed by a streaky Calvin Austin and a few below-average pass catchers. Pittsburgh could land a franchise wide receiver like Emeka Egbuka or Luther Burden in the upcoming NFL Draft, but they would need to add another one in free agency.
Diggs, coming off an ACL tear, may be the best bang for their buck. While adding Tee Higgins could be the best option, it's not likely the Steelers spend the $100 million required to take him from the Cincinnati Bengals. Chris Godwin could make sense, but he could be too expensive too. If Pittsburgh is confident that Diggs will return to his pre-injury form, this is the perfect match.
1. Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs were the best team in the league for 95 percent of the 2024 season. Unfortunately for them, the only week where they weren't the best team in the league was the week of the Super Bowl. However, they're set to face some major adversity this offseason, specifically in free agency.
Kansas City struggled with wide receiver depth in 2024. They had Xavier Worthy, who was streaky for the entire season. He's a great big play threat, but it doesn't seem like he's ready to take on the workload of a WR1. Hollywood Brown was hurt the entire season and now he's a free agent. Deandre Hopkins flashed spurts of his prime, but he struggled sometimes as well. He's also a free agent.
It's clear the Chiefs will target pass catchers in free agency, especially as Travis Kelce nears the end of his playing career. Adding a wideout like Diggs would give Patrick Mahomes a veteran who's played with some of the better quarterbacks in the league. It's certainly worth the money if Kansas City is confident that he'll return to form after his knee injury.