New England Patriots
Diggs would be open to the reunion, but the pending trade for A.J. Brown is reportedly a roadblock for bringing him back.
Stefon Diggs posted a 1,000 yard receiving season with the Patriots last year. (AP Photo/Doug Benc)
Despite seemingly growing interest on Stefon Diggs’s social media page with re-joining the Patriots for this coming season, a reunion between the sides is reportedly still viewed as unlikely in league circles.
Albert Breer provided an update on Diggs, stating that while the 32-year-old has a real interest in re-signing in New England, and the team loves him, the imminent A.J. Brown trade is a roadblock in making that reunion happen.
“I do think an A.J. Brown trade will happen. I also don’t think, for a variety of reasons, you’ll see Diggs and A.J. Brown together in New England,” Breer wrote in his mailbag column. “Now, I believe the Patriots love Diggs, and Diggs would love to return. But any realistic talk about his return, to me, hinges on whether the Brown trade happens. Assuming Brown does become a Patriot, I think Diggs will probably be somewhere in that one-year, $10 million range.”
Stefon Diggs on IG:
“This is not an opinion-based sport, so here are the numbers. I played 52% of the snaps and finished with 85 catches for 1,045 yards coming off an ACL.”
Where we going? pic.twitter.com/KNjrszkrNe
— Savage (@Savageboston) May 7, 2026
The Patriots would be taking on the majority of Brown’s salary when they trade for him; that was a key reason for the trade talks being tabled until June 1. So, New England would be on the books for his $32 million AAV contract, along with the $68 million they’re due to pay newly acquired receiver Romeo Doubs over the next four years.
Breer doesn’t seem to see a world where the Patriots would allocate another chunk of cap space to Diggs to make him essentially the third wide receiver on the team. And it’s also not a certainty that Diggs would embrace the role of a third wide receiver, considering he’s coming off a 1,000-yard receiving season as the top receiver in Foxborough.
That said, the idea of having Brown, Diggs, Doubs, Hunter Henry, Rhamondre Stevenson, and TreVeyon Henderson all as weapons for Drake Maye would certainly be a dream scenario after the way last season panned out. Down the stretch, it became clear New England was outgunned in terms of offensive weapons, resorting to winning close, low-scoring games in the playoffs before putting up very little offense in its Super Bowl loss to Seattle.
If the Patriots did make a bold move and re-sign Diggs, their offense would be one of the league’s best on paper. But is it realistic to count on that move? Probably not, at least according to Breer.
Either way, New England has made improvements offensively that should make for an exciting 2026, especially if and when the trade for Brown finally goes through.
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