Patriots Letting Stefon Diggs Go Doesn’t Surprise Warren Moon

Former Titans QB Warren Moon claimed that the Patriots made a business move by releasing WR Stefon Diggs despite reaching the Super Bowl with him.

Patriots Letting Stefon Diggs Go Doesn’t Surprise Warren Moon

Stefon Diggs and Warren Moon inside the circle (Image via IMAGO/X)

In Short
  • Warren Moon was not surprised by the Patriots' release of Stefon Diggs, citing it as part of the business.
  • Diggs faced off-the-field issues, including a lawsuit and paternity tests, which affected his performance.
  • The Patriots saved approximately $15.795 million in cap space with Diggs's release, increasing their total to around $55 million.

Even though the New England Patriots’ releasing wide receiver Stefon Diggs raised a lot of eyebrows, Warren Moon did not find the move surprising. The Hall of Fame quarterback argued that it is all part of the business.

Moon acknowledged Diggs for his contributions as a team player; however, he also highlighted the Pro Bowl wide receiver’s tumultuous personal life beyond football.

[Stefon Diggs] brings a lot of baggage wherever he goes right now. He has off-the-field stuff, and he wasn’t as productive over the last part of the season as he had been in the first part of the season.

Warren Moon said (H/T: TMZ Sports)

Regarding off-the-field issues, Diggs appeared before a judge over a lawsuit filed against him by his chef. Moreover, he took paternity tests to find out if he is the father of a couple of babies while dating rapper Cardi B. That said, Cardi B split with Diggs after he found out that he routinely cheated on her with other women. Diggs and Cardi have a child together, a baby boy whom they had last year.

Diggs did not set the world on fire, but he managed to carve out a decent year, nonetheless. As hypothetical WR1 of the Patriots, Diggs caught 85 passes for 1013 yards and scored 4 touchdowns. However, he was less than effective in the playoffs, especially in the Super Bowl. When Drake Maye required him the most, the 32-year-old caught just 3 passes for 37 yards. To be fair, he was targeted only three times by Maye.

After the loss to the Seahawks in San Francisco, Diggs told reporters that he wanted to continue playing for the Patriots in 2026. That is no longer possible, as the Patriots released him earlier this week, much to the surprise of his teammates.

In doing so, the Patriots saved approximately $15.795 million in cap space. This includes a $9.8 million dead cap hit. Per Mark Daniels of MassLive, the Patriots now have around $55 million in cap space.

Drake Maye reacted to Stefon Diggs’ release

Mike Vrabel and Eliot Wolf signed Diggs to a three-year contract to give Maye a proven WR1. His choppy reputation aside and a year away from football due to an ACL tear, Diggs had plenty of experience being the target man. He helped Josh Allen achieve his potential during his four-year spell in Buffalo.

Patriots Letting Stefon Diggs Go Doesn't Surprise Warren Moon
Stefon Diggs (Image via IMAGO)

Maye benefitted from Diggs’ presence in the offense. The former first round pick completed 72% of his passes for 4394 yards and threw 31 touchdowns. Maye was on vacation when the Patriots released Diggs. He posted a photo with Diggs on Instagram as a small parting gift.

Rookie wide receiver Kyle Williams wrote “the greatest beyond blessed and grateful,” while DeMario Douglas captioned “forever Love Brother.”

With Diggs out of the picture, the Patriots are eyeing AJ Brown. However, he won’t come cheap, as hinted by Patriots beat writer Andrew Callahan.

I was with another Eagles writer who has contact with Howie Roseman — who knows him very well — and says: A) He thinks AJ Brown will get traded. B) The Eagles care more about the cash than the cap. The problem with them is… who’s taking his place?

Callahan said on the Pats Interfernece Podcast

Brown grew up a Patriots fan and, per his teammate Saquon Barkley, will love to play for them someday. Brown is younger and has a ring under his belt. So, he will be an upgrade on Diggs.

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