Former Houston Texans wide receiver Stefon Diggs did not receive any interest to start NFL free agency as he rehabs from a torn ACL.
However, the veteran receiver reportedly visited with the New England Patriots last week, which could use a WR1 like Diggs this upcoming season. From all accounts, the visit went well for the veteran receiver.
On Sunday, ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported that Diggs is “ahead of schedule” and already running at “full speed.” That said, the Patriots aren’t in a hurry to sign the veteran wide receiver as they prepare for the 2025 NFL Draft.
“Stefon, obviously, a really good player. He was coming off an injury last year, so it was something we wanted to take a look and see where that was at,” Patriots Lead personnel executive Eliot Wolf said at New England’s annual NFL draft party (h/t Mass Live's Karen Guregian).
“His agents, Adisa Bakari, Jeff Whitney, great guys, they do a great job. “So, they’re people we always stay in contact with him, and other players.”
Even though Diggs didn’t land a deal with New England after his visit, the Patriots didn’t exactly shut the door on the idea. The Patriots did their homework to see if he could fit in their offense, and where he’s at health-wise.
The fact that the former Texans wide receiver is ahead of schedule is a good sign as he suffered a torn ACL in October. Diggs would give the Pats' offense a huge boost and could help out their young wide receivers -- Demario Douglas, Ja'Lynn Polk, Javon Baker, and Kayshon Boutte.
Nonetheless, it would not be shocking to see Diggs garner more interest from WR-needy teams over the next few weeks. The Texans would’ve been an option, but with the addition of Christian Kirk, Houston appears to be okay with Nico Collins as WR1 and they add another player to the group through the NFL draft.