Stefon Diggs still doesn’t have a team. He still has plenty to say about it.
The veteran wide receiver, unsigned since the Patriots released him in March, used his YouTube channel this week to make his pitch to all 32 teams heading into training camp. His argument: nobody rostered right now can match him at the No. 2 spot. “You can’t name a No. 2 better than me,” Diggs said in the video, according to ESPN.
What Diggs actually said
Diggs, 32, framed his case around role, not ego. He conceded he’s probably done as a true No. 1 option. Then he dared anyone to name someone better behind that guy. “My opinion, I can compete with anybody,” Diggs said, per ESPN. “But take those [top wide receivers] as your 1s, right? You can’t name a No. 2 better than me.”
He pushed further, asking people to weigh salary against production before answering. “Name your No. 2 receiver right now, and tell me how much he makes, and then my last question is: Is he better than me?” he said, according to ESPN.
He also drew a line most teams would agree with — that only a handful of receivers in the league are true alphas. Diggs said “presumably” all 32 teams have a No. 1 wideout, but that in his view there are only seven “real 1s” in the NFL, ESPN reported.
The numbers behind the talk
Diggs isn’t just talking. He backed it up in 2025, his lone season in New England. Working with quarterback Drake Maye, he caught 85 of 102 targets for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns, per ESPN — his seventh 1,000-yard season in eight years, and his first full campaign back from the torn ACL that ended his 2024 season in Houston early.
| Season | Team | Rec | Yards | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | New England | 85 | 1,013 | 4 |
| 2024 | Houston | 47 | 496 | 3 |
| 2023 | Buffalo | 107 | 1,183 | 8 |
Diggs added 14 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown across four playoff games as the Patriots reached Super Bowl LX, where they lost to the Seahawks.
Why he’s still unsigned
The Patriots released Diggs in March in a cost-driven move — he was set to count $26.5 million against New England’s cap. The team replaced him by trading for A.J. Brown and signing Romeo Doubs, according to NBC Sports.
Off the field, Diggs spent the spring dealing with a criminal case. He was charged in February with felony strangulation and misdemeanor assault and battery stemming from a dispute with his former personal chef. A jury found him not guilty in May, and the NFL closed its personal-conduct review shortly after, determining there wasn’t sufficient evidence to support a suspension, ESPN reported.
With that behind him, Diggs has been open about wanting a homecoming. He grew up in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and played college ball at Maryland. Speaking to Washington’s Fox 5, he said a return to the area was something he thought about immediately after his release, and a station spokesperson confirmed his interest in the Commanders, according to Fox Sports. Washington carries more than $40 million in cap space and still lacks a proven complement to Terry McLaurin.
He isn’t only linked to Washington. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer has named the Chiefs, Commanders, Falcons and Rams as plausible landing spots and predicted Diggs signs a one-year deal in the $10 million range, according to NFLTradeRumors.co. Kansas City has come up repeatedly given questions at receiver behind Xavier Worthy, and a possible Buffalo reunion has floated around too, though nothing concrete has emerged from any side.
What it means
Diggs reframing himself as a No. 2 isn’t just posturing — it’s a pitch designed to get him signed. A team chasing a true alpha receiver was never going to call at 32 years old and one year removed from a torn ACL. A team looking for a complementary, high-floor target who still commands safety attention is a much easier sell, and that’s the role he’s now selling.
Whether any front office agrees he’s the best at that job remains to be seen. But with camps opening within weeks, Diggs is running out of runway to make his case from the outside.
