Stefon Diggs' stint in New England is over.
The Patriots have informed the four-time Pro Bowl receiver they intend to release him at the start of the new league year on March 11, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported on Wednesday.
New England's decision is purely financially motivated. Diggs had an additional $6 million set to become fully guaranteed at the end of next week, prompting the Patriots to make such a decision Wednesday and inform Diggs ahead of time so that he can get an early start on seeking a new employer, per Pelissero.
Diggs expressed gratitude for his time with the Patriots, posting two photos on social media with the caption "THANK YOU for a hell of a year ... Until we meet again."
When Diggs signed in New England a year ago, the choice came as somewhat of a surprise amid the Patriots' massive spending spree. The three-year, $63.5 million deal was always likely to only last one year due to how New England structured it, pushing most of his cap hit into the second and third years, allowing the Patriots to fit Diggs into their immediate cap while preserving an opportunity to keep him in the event Diggs had a career season and was worth retaining at such a rate.
To Diggs' credit, he exceeded most expectations in his first and only season in New England. Diggs caught 85 passes for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns in 17 regular season games while serving as an emotionally charged, seasoned veteran leader the young Patriots needed. Although he was largely prevented from making a difference in Super Bowl LX (three catches for 37 yards), it's fair to wonder if the Patriots reach the final game of the 2025 NFL season without him. His teammates' positive words regarding him during the week leading up to Super Bowl LX underscored this sentiment, and nearly a month after losing to the Seattle Seahawks, coach Mike Vrabel maintained a positive review of the veteran.
"Well, I mean, not only his future, but what he was able to do for us and come in and provide leadership," Vrabel said on Feb. 25 at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. "He worked extremely hard in the time that he was rehabbing from the knee. I think he was just a really good presence each and every week."
Diggs turns 33 in November and is coming off a 1,000-yard season in which he still displayed many of the abilities that turned him into a star during earlier stints with Minnesota and Buffalo. He joins a free-agent receiver class that includes a number of notable names, with Tyreek Hill, Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, DeAndre Hopkins, Christian Kirk and Jauan Jennings among them.
As he enters free agency, Diggs also has an upcoming pretrial hearing on April 1 after pleading not guilty last month to felony strangulation and other criminal charges stemming from an alleged dispute with his personal chef.
