"Will Stefon Diggs be back with the Patriots in 2026?"
That’s one of the questions looming over 1 Patriot Place after the 32-year-old wide receiver pleaded not guilty on Friday to felony strangulation and misdemeanor assault charges. The legal situation adds another layer of uncertainty to what was already a complicated decision involving age, production and contract structure.
Shortly after Diggs’ arraignment, Jones and Keefe wrestled with whether the former All-Pro’s future in New England was secure, and neither sounded ready to guarantee anything.
“I really don't know,” said WEEI’s Rich Keefe. “Outside of, like, Drake Maye, how many guys can you guarantee are gonna be back? Like, on any NFL team, it's such a short list. There's so much turnover.”
While Diggs’ case will play out in court, the off-field questions can’t be ignored. Still, the football case for keeping him is strong.
“I would like him back,” said Keefe. “He was a 1,000-yard receiver coming off an ACL injury. Even at his age, he was very productive.”
Diggs finished the regular season with 85 catches, played in all 17 games, and provided veteran stability for a young offense led by Maye. But his quiet postseason - just 110 yards across four playoff games - is leaving a lingering impression.
“Look, I'm not telling you it's mostly about on-field,” said WEEI’s Adam Jones. “I'm just saying, the last thing you saw with him - I said this about the rookie class, I'll say it about him, too - the last thing you saw with him was a pretty unproductive veteran in the postseason.”
Then there’s the contract.
Diggs carries a $20.6 million base salary in 2026, but just $1.7 million is fully guaranteed, with modest injury protections and per-game bonuses. In other words, the Patriots can move on easily.
“They can get out of the deal very easily,” said Jones. “It's why Diggs said after the Super Bowl, when he was asked if he wanted to be back, he's like, ‘It's not up to me, it's up to them. I'm basically on a year-to-year deal.’
“He's aware of that, never mind the legal situation with him. So I think you've kind of come up with the best situation or solution to this. If they want him back, they restructure the deal, they give him more guarantees, they lower their cap hit, and everybody wins, if they want him.”
The locker room factor also matters. Diggs emerged as an emotional leader, something few predicted. The “we all we got, we all we need” rallying cry of the 2025 Patriots was propagated by Diggs, and countless teammates have spoken about his importance to that locker room since he came aboard last spring.
“He's a leader on this team, and that is - in my wildest dreams, I never saw that happening, on this team, this year,” said Jones.
Ultimately, the debate may come down to replacement value. As one caller put it, Diggs may not be a true No. 1 anymore, but he’s the closest thing the Patriots have had in years.
Whether that’s enough, amid legal uncertainty and financial flexibility, will define one of the franchise’s biggest offseason decisions.
Stay locked in to WEEI and WEEI.com for all the latest on Stefon Diggs’ offseason.