The Patriots made one receiver decision, and Stefon Diggs is already helping prove how costly it was.
New England had been tied to an A.J. Brown trade from the start of the 2026 offseason, a move that would have reunited him with Mike Vrabel after the Eagles appeared ready to move on.
That buzz was enough to get Patriots fans dreaming, especially with Bill Belichick’s 2019 Draft miss on Brown still hanging around after the team took N’Keal Harry instead. Four months later, Brown was in place.
But to make room, the Patriots had to reshape the receiving group, and that started with the surprising release of Diggs only one year into his three-year deal. It was a jarring call after he put up the first 1,000-yard season since Julian Edelman in 2019 and developed strong chemistry with Drake Maye and the rest of the offense.
There were even rumors he might come back before the 2026 season opened. Instead, New England let that possibility pass, and Diggs landed with the Commanders.
Two weeks into the season, that choice already looks rough.
Diggs has fit in quickly in Washington, and the results are showing up fast. He has 9 receptions for 102 yards and 3 touchdowns, working as the No. 2 target behind Terry McLaurin. With Jayden Daniels now sidelined, that role will shift to Marcus Mariota, but Diggs has already given the Commanders exactly what they hoped for - production, reliability, and the kind of leadership that had been questioned before.
The early returns have wiped out the noise that followed him from Buffalo. Commanders fans had questions about his attitude and whether he would be a good teammate. Those concerns are gone now.
That has to sting for the Patriots, who got a version of Diggs in their lone season with him that looked a lot like the one Washington is enjoying now. And with New England dealing with its own offensive issues, watching him thrive somewhere else only makes the move harder to defend.
It gets even messier when you look at what the Patriots have right now. Brown is dealing with a high ankle sprain from their Super Bowl rematch in Week 1, and they also traded Kayshon Boutte. New England is left waiting on Brown’s return, hoping Romeo Doubs can duplicate what he did against the Steelers, and counting on Kyle Williams to become the player they thought they were drafting on night one.
If the Diggs release wasn’t a mistake when it happened, it looks even worse now. The Patriots had a chance to keep him in 2026, either by simply paying what they had already offered him or by restructuring the deal in a way that worked for both sides.
They didn’t. And now Diggs is doing damage somewhere else.
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