Sipu Jha
Stefon Diggs walked off the field in Santa Clara with a Super Bowl loss and a familiar question hanging over him again. He finally gave the New England Patriots a true No. 1 season, and now the business side is already circling.The 32-year-old wide receiver is locked into a three-year, $69 million contract that runs through 2027. The problem is what that deal turns into on the 2026 cap sheet, and a growing chorus in Boston media thinks this partnership is about to be tested fast.
Stefon Diggs just delivered as a No. 1 receiver, but his 2026 cap hit looks like a problem in Foxborough
On the field, Diggs did exactly what New England hoped when it brought him to Foxborough. He played all 17 games in 2025, caught 85 passes for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns, and became the first Patriots receiver to clear 1,000 yards since Julian Edelman in 2019. He helped drag this offense back to Super Bowl 60.The question is whether the front office wants to pay for that version again at this price. Diggs carries a $26.5 million cap hit for 2026. The Patriots have a potential out before June 1 that would save roughly $16.9 million while leaving $9.7 million in dead money on the books.NBC Sports Boston’s Marc Bertrand does not think this sets up for a quiet spring. “I think they’re headed for a breakup. It’s what I think they are,” Bertrand said. “I think it’s human nature for him to sit there and say, ‘As long as they don’t ask out of the contract.’ Well, they may not ask him out the contract and say, ‘Hey, why don’t you take a pay cut like so many veterans in the NFL have been asked to do before?’“And he’s gonna say, ‘Why do I need to take a pay cut? I just gave you a 1,000-yard season, and I was just your best, most reliable receiver, and I was a leader on the team. Explain to me why am I taking a pay cut?’”From the team side, that is the entire debate. Do you keep paying near top-of-the-market money to a 32-year-old receiver while trying to build the next version of the offense around Drake Maye, or do you rip the bandage off now and reset the position?
March 13 turns Stefon Diggs’ contract, court case and Patriots future into a real deadline
The calendar now matters as much as the stat line. On the Next Pats Podcast, NBC Sports Boston’s Phil Perry laid out exactly why March 13 is the real pressure point.“He has $1.7 million guaranteed on his deal for 2026. It’s not a huge number, but if you get to the regular season, that $20.6 million base salary becomes guaranteed, and actually $6 million of that will be guaranteed on March 13th.That’s the key date. If he gets $6 million on March 13th, he’s going to be with this team. If he doesn’t, you’re going to be looking for wide receivers, whether it’s in free agency or in the draft, to help fill the gap.“Now, you could save almost $17 million on the cap. … You would have $9.7 million in dead money if you end up parting with Stefon Diggs.”Layer in Diggs’ ongoing court case and the front office does not just have a money decision. It has a risk decision. If the legal situation clears, the argument to keep a proven No. 1 for at least one more year with Maye gets stronger. If it does not, the temptation to walk away from the contract only grows.Diggs, for his part, has already said where he stands after the 29-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 60.“Oh (expletive). Unless they opt out of the contract,” Diggs said. “I anticipate being here, so I hope so. Love my guys. I had a hell of a year playing with them. Built some real family-like bond, so I hope so, I don’t control it though.” That is the heart of it. Diggs wants to stay. Bertrand thinks the two sides are already on the road to a split. Perry has circled March 13 as the day words turn into action.If New England lets that $6 million guarantee hit, it is betting that a 32-year-old Stefon Diggs is still the best thing for Drake Maye and this offense right now. If it does not, the breakup everyone keeps talking about stops being a radio topic and becomes the first defining call of the Mike Vrabel era.
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