The Athletic’s Chad Graff reports one league source expects the Patriots to cut Stefon Diggs unless they’re able to dramatically lower his cap hit with a reworked contract.

27 February 2026

It’s a tortured way to put it — we like when beat writers actually stand by their sources — but it’s been clear from Graff’s point of view the past few days that a Stefon Diggs release should at least be on the radar. Diggs has a $26.5 million cap hit and barely cleared the 1000-yard hurdle with a 85/1013/4 regular season. He’s entering his age-33 season and caught just 14 passes for 110 yards in four playoff games, he’s also facing felony strangulation and suffocation charges. It’s easy to see why the Patriots would look at the Diggs contract as perhaps not worthwhile, but harder to understand where they would expect to get great production at the position without Diggs. The wideout free agent market is barren, and unless they’re prepared to pay a first-rounder for A.J. Brown, there’s not an easily identifiable trade for them either.