​Stefon Diggs has endured a particularly eventful offseason for all the wrong reasons, facing multiple lawsuits with serious accusations attached to his name. One case ended in Diggs’s favor, while another concluded with a $10 million settlement involving Diggs’s brother. Meanwhile, Diggs is a free agent after a season in New England catching passes from Drake Maye, and he is now campaigning to land with an NFL team once more. His latest pitch centers on a bold assertion: there isn’t a wide receiver two in the NFL who surpasses him. It’s a confident claim that, from a statistical standpoint, doesn’t entirely hold up.
When you look at the current landscape of NFL No. 2 receivers, a few players stand out as potential Week-1 receivers, capable of serving as a team’s primary option if needed. George Pickens and Tee Higgins are prominent examples; both have shown they can carry significant receiving burdens and would be elite No. 1 targets on many teams. Davante Adams also belongs in the conversation, having led the league in touchdown receptions last season. Given the accomplishments and the talent on those rosters, it’s hard to argue that any NFL team would definitively prefer Diggs over Pickens, Higgins, or Adams as their top option.
That said, Diggs’s career deserves due respect. He was a standout performer during his time with the Vikings and the Bills, widely regarded as one of the league’s premier wide receivers for several years. He has continued to be a productive target, contributing meaningfully to his teams and remaining a dangerous playmaker when on the field.
Still, there are meaningful context changes worth noting. Tee Higgins has produced back-to-back seasons with 1,000+ receiving yards, even with Ja’Marr Chase drawing attention on the Bengals’ depth chart. In a full season, Higgins likely would have surpassed or approached the 1,000-yard mark in each of the last three years. In 2024 and 2025, he posted ten and eleven touchdowns, respectively, underscoring his red-zone effectiveness and scoring upside. Additionally, Higgins has demonstrated strong capabilities in contested catches, reinforcing his value as a high-caliber wide receiver who can operate as a primary or secondary option depending on the offense.
Higgins is five years younger than Diggs, adding long-term upside to the equation. While Diggs had a remarkable prime run—six straight seasons with 1,000-plus yards during his time with the Vikings and Bills—the later years have included more headlines off the field. By comparison, Higgins has generally been viewed as a steadier presence with fewer off-field complications, a factor teams often weigh when building locker-room culture and leadership dynamics.
From a purely positional perspective, Higgins has thrived as a high-end No. 2 behind Ja’Marr Chase, and Cincinnati was willing to compensate him as though he were a No. 1 option because of the production, versatility, and reliability he brings. That contrasts with Diggs’s trajectory, where an evolving reputation and multiple media headlines have accompanied his career arc, factors that clubs consider when calibrating their wide receiver room and leadership structure.
In terms of the current market, it’s reasonable to frame Higgins as a superior No. 2 option compared to Diggs at this stage in their careers. Higgins’s consistent production behind an elite teammate in Chase, combined with his remaining youth and on-field reliability, positions him as a highly attractive secondary weapon. Diggs, while still an explosive and capable playmaker, has entered a phase where his off-field scrutiny and relative age gap temper the perception of him as a pure No. 2 option behind an emerging star.
Ultimately, the evaluation comes down to how NFL teams weigh on-field impact against off-field dynamics and long-term potential. Higgins’s production, youth, and on-field demeanor present a compelling case for him being a superior No. 2 compared with Diggs. Diggs’s career achievements remain influential and noteworthy, but in today’s rankings of NFL No. 2 receivers, Higgins currently stands out as the stronger option behind a genuine top-tier wide receiver.