After falling short in Super Bowl LX with a 29-13 loss to the Seahawks, the New England Patriots are heading into the offseason with some big decisions on the table - and one of them centers around Stefon Diggs. The veteran wideout, who turned 32 in November, made it clear he wants to stay in Foxborough, saying he’s committed “unless they opt out of the contract.”
And if you ask second-year quarterback Drake Maye, that’s exactly what the Patriots shouldn’t do.
Maye, coming off a breakout campaign that saw him finish as the 2025 MVP runner-up, spoke glowingly about Diggs on Tuesday, calling him “a great force” and praising both his leadership and production in a season that saw New England win 14 of 17 regular-season games.
“I can’t say enough about what he’s done for us, what he’s done for this team and what he’s proved to himself,” Maye said. “He’s got a lot of juice left in the tank.”
And the numbers back that up.
In his first year with the Patriots, Diggs led the team with 85 catches and 1,013 receiving yards, tacking on four touchdowns. He quickly became Maye’s go-to target, providing a reliable presence on the outside and a veteran voice in the locker room. That’s especially impressive considering where Diggs was just a year ago - coming off a torn ACL and entering a new system with a rookie quarterback.
Now, with a full offseason ahead of him - and healthy - Diggs has a chance to take his game to another level.
“He really didn’t have a chance last offseason coming from an injury,” Maye said. “So he’s got a chance to get back and work on his craft. I know there’s some left, and I’m looking forward to hopefully throwing him some more passes and watching [No.] 8 go.”
That’s not just locker room talk. It’s a young quarterback publicly advocating for one of his key weapons - and doing so at a time when Diggs’ future is anything but certain.
Despite signing a three-year, $63.5 million deal last March, Diggs’ $20.6 million base salary for 2026 isn’t fully guaranteed. And as head coach Mike Vrabel pointed out this week, the NFL is a business - one where teams are constantly searching for the “better, younger, cheaper player.”
That’s the reality Diggs is facing. But it’s also the reality the Patriots have to weigh carefully.
Diggs may be on the wrong side of 30, but he’s still producing, still creating separation, and still earning the trust of his quarterback. And in today’s NFL, where continuity between a young QB and his top target can be the difference between a playoff run and a rebuild, that connection matters.
So while the front office crunches numbers and evaluates roster flexibility, Maye’s message is loud and clear: Stefon Diggs still has plenty to offer - and keeping him around might be the smartest move New England makes this offseason.