Stefon Diggs didn’t just land with the Washington Commanders this offseason - he arrived with a chance to make the New England Patriots’ decision look worse by the week.
That possibility felt a little more real after the Patriots stumbled through a miserable Week 1, the kind of opener that exposes every crack in the foundation. Against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, New England got nothing going on offense.
That alone would have been bad enough. It was worse because Drake Maye, who had looked like an NFL MVP candidate a year ago, played nothing like that version of himself.
The timing was off, the decisions were shaky, and without Diggs in the mix, there was no trusted outlet to steady things when the play broke down.
The Patriots also took another hit when Pro Bowl wide receiver A.J. Brown suffered a high ankle sprain and is expected to miss time. Add in Romeo Doubs’ quiet and ineffective debut, and the wideout room suddenly looks like a problem waiting to grow.
That’s the part New England has to sit with now: Diggs was there, productive and important, and then he wasn’t. He spent one season with the Patriots, topped 1,000 receiving yards, and became a valuable presence for Maye. The club still moved on, and Washington was the team that stepped in.
For Diggs, though, the focus is not on what New England is missing. He got the homecoming he wanted in Washington, and so far it has fit.
He has blended into the scheme and the locker room, built chemistry with quarterback Jayden Daniels, and brought a leadership edge that apparently caught some people off guard. That doesn’t match the label that has followed him around at times, but it is exactly the kind of presence Washington wants.
Diggs is also realistic about where he is in his career. He knows he does not have many prime years left, and he has embraced the idea of being an elder statesman with something to offer on and off the field. He believes in the Commanders’ plan this season and wants to be a key piece of the offense under first-time coordinator David Blough.
The move to Washington wasn’t some last-minute fallback, either. Diggs had other options, but he and general manager Adam Peters stayed in touch all offseason before finally striking a deal. With the money involved, there is room for Diggs to outplay the contract and then some.
If he does, New England may spend a lot of time wondering why it ever let him go. For now, though, it’s only Week 1, and there’s still plenty of football left before anyone can make a final judgment.
Overreactions are easy right now. The season is just getting started.
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For a player who has earned three Pro Bowl selections and was recently voted a team captain for the fifth time, the possibility carries real weight inside a locker room that has long leaned on his consistency and professionalism. Way has been part of so much of the franchises recent history that his decision will resonate well beyond special teams, even if the final call is still ahead. [Read more 🡒]
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Commanders Fans Will Have Strong Feelings About This Kyle Shanahan Debate
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Still, the path from speculation to reality looks extremely narrow right now. Shanahan is under contract, has his own history with the organization, and his career has long pointed in a different direction than a return to Washington in either a head coach or offensive coordinator role. For now, there have been no official moves or decisions, which leaves this as more of a fan-friendly debate than a true pursuit, even if it is the kind of possibility Commanders supporters will keep talking about. [Read more 🡒]