​Still without a team weeks before training camp, former New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs isn’t lacking confidence, issuing a bold claim about where he believes he still ranks among NFL receivers. Diggs’ remarks come as the four-time Pro Bowler remains one of the biggest names left on the free-agent market, with his self-assurance seemingly intact despite a notably long wait for his next opportunity.
In a video posted last week to his YouTube channel, Diggs acknowledged that he’s probably no longer a true No. 1 target. He drew a sharper line around everyone else at the position. “My opinion, I can compete with anybody,” Diggs said. “But take those top wide receivers as your ones, right? You can’t name a No. 2 better than me,” he told ESPN. He believes roughly seven players in the league qualify as genuine No. 1 options, while everyone else is, in his view, a No. 2 he’d happily line up against, salary included. “Name the guy, name his contract, then ask if he’s really better,” Diggs said.
Diggs brings four Pro Bowl selections, a first-team All-Pro honor, and a 2020 season in which he led the NFL in receptions and receiving yards. Seven of his last eight seasons have surpassed 1,000 receiving yards, a level of production that rarely coincides with a late-July free-agent stalemate deep into the offseason.
New England moved on from Diggs at the start of the new league year in March, a decision the club framed as strictly financial. He had signed a three-year, $69 million contract the prior offseason, but its structure pushed the bulk of the money into future seasons, with about $6 million in guaranteed money looming. On the field, Diggs delivered for the Patriots, leading the team with 85 catches for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns in a season that marked his seventh 1,000-yard year and a successful comeback from a knee injury that cut short his lone season with the Houston Texans. The Patriots rode that production to Super Bowl LVII.
The front office didn’t keep him long, trading for A.J. Brown and signing Romeo Doubs to a four-year deal worth about $68 million. Doubs, nine years younger than Diggs, caught 55 passes for 724 yards and six touchdowns with Green Bay last season, providing New England with a cheaper, younger option behind Brown for years to come.
Diggs’ lone Patriots season also concluded amid legal drama, as he faced felony strangulation and misdemeanor assault charges tied to a December dispute with his personal chef. A two-day trial in May ended with Diggs being found not guilty on both counts. Earlier, the NFL closed its personal conduct policy review of the four-time Pro Bowler, citing insufficient evidence of a violation, which cleared another hurdle as he continues to search for a new team mere weeks before training camps begin.