FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots informed veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs that he will be released at the start of the 2026 league year next week, according to a league source.
Diggs' salary cap charge was set to rise from $10.5 million to $26.5 million, which was the catalyst for the move. If he was on the roster by the end of next week, he would have had an additional $6 million of his contract guaranteed.
Diggs posted a message on his Instagram story: "Thank you for a hell of a year. We family forever."
Diggs, 32, had signed a three-year, $69 million deal with the Patriots last March and quickly became one of the team's inspirational leaders, as well as their top-producing receiver. He totaled a team-high 85 receptions for 1,013 yards with four touchdowns in the regular season. During the Patriots' postseason run to Super Bowl LX, Diggs had 14 receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown in four playoff games.
Diggs, however, also is facing felony strangulation and other criminal charges stemming from an alleged dispute with his personal chef. Diggs has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He is next scheduled to appear for a pretrial hearing April 1.
The Patriots will now need to find a way to fill that void for quarterback Drake Maye. They return veteran Mack Hollins and fourth-year pro Kayshon Boutte as their top receivers, with DeMario "Pop" Douglas, 2025 third-round pick Kyle Williams and 2025 undrafted free agent Efton Chism III also on the depth chart.
At the NFL scouting combine last week, head coach Mike Vrabel noted that No. 1 receivers are hard to come by.
"They're not going to be there in free agency. You have to try to draft them. I think that's where a lot of them are. You develop them," Vrabel said.
The Patriots have 11 selections in this year's draft, with their top pick at 31st overall.
