Stefon Diggs’ $69 million Patriots signing leaves NFL fans bemused -“What an overpay”

Former Vikings and Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who played for the Texans in 2024, has signed a new three-year contract.

Stefon Diggs’ $69 million Patriots signing leaves NFL fans bemused -“What an overpay”

Stefon Diggs (Image via Instagram)

After an offseason that saw the New England Patriots stay on the sidelines to start off, the team’s front office seems to finally have swung into action. Quarterback Drake Maye will start the 2025 NFL season off with a brand new weapon at the receiver slot – Stefon Diggs. The former Vikings and Bills wide receiver, who spent 2024 as a Houston Texan, has been signed on a three-year deal.

The total amount on the contract is $69 million, which works out to an average annual value of $23 million. Crucially, only $26 million of this sum is guaranteed. This is still a significant sum of money for Diggs, who was essentially the Texans’ third-choice receiver in 2024. However, Diggs is only a year removed from a Pro Bowl appearance with the Buffalo Bills.

YouTube video

Despite missing most of 2024 with a season-ending ACL injury, Stefon Diggs averaged nearly 6 catches and 83 yards per game with Houston. At the time of his injury, Diggs was seventh in the NFL in total catches. His presence correlated to quarterback CJ Stroud’s most productive output of the season coming till Week 8. Stroud benefited massively from Diggs’ immaculate route running, completing 73% of his passes targeting the receiver.

In contrast to Stroud, Drake Maye played with one of the worst receiving corps in 2024. The North Carolina product threw to the likes of Kendrick Bourne and Demario Douglas as his most reliable options. Maye will now be able to a true WR1 in 2025 if Diggs is able to come back healthy.

Diggs remains a premier route runner, and he would undoubtedly be the WR1 in New England, given how their corps currently stands.

New England is currently in the middle of a rebuilding phase, and is also undergoing a front office overhaul. With a proven head coach like Mike Vrabel in charge, the team’s outlook is likely to be different from their pedestrian 2023 and 2024 seasons under Bill Belichick and Jerod Mayo, respectively. Vrabel is also a Patriots legend and brings Super Bowl-winning credentials to the locker room.

NFL fans react to the New England Patriots signing Stefon Diggs

Stefon Diggs is a typical wide receiver who’s had more than his fair share of locker room drama. The former fifth-round pick has always carried himself around with a chip on his shoulder.

He’s had some off-field drama to add to the stereotypical wide receiver tantrums about not getting enough targets. As a result, NFL fans are not going easy on his addition to the Patriots roster despite his obvious merits on the field.

Reactions to his signing came from all around the spectrum. A few Patriots fans were undoubtedly elated after finally landing a Pro Bowl-level receiver for the first time since Wes Welker.

However, there were also some predictable misgivings about his addition to a relatively young Patriots squad. It is clear that tons of NFL fans don’t consider him a role model veteran, and that is reflected in some of the reactions to this trade.

There were also some who believe that this move barely moves the needle for a team at the basement of the AFC at the current moment.

The Patriots’ current roster situation makes the mixed reaction to this signing completely understandable. After three acrimonious exits from three different playoff teams, Diggs will be playing for a rebuilding team for the first time in a while. The onus will be on him to tune out the negativity and continuing building a resume that would bring him closer to a Hall of Fame nod – though that is currently only a slim possibility.

Related: NBA vs NFL average player salary: Which league delivers bigger paychecks?