Stefon Diggs doesn’t have a team right now. That hasn’t dented his self-assessment. With training camps set to open later this month, the free-agent wide receiver said last week on his YouTube channel that no team’s No. 2 receiver can match him.
“My opinion, I can compete with anybody,” Diggs said. “But take those [top wide receivers] as your 1s, right? You can’t name a No. 2 better than me.”
Diggs isn’t claiming to be an elite WR1 anymore. He’s conceding that ground. What he won’t concede is the No. 2 spot, even against receivers like Tee Higgins, George Pickens, Davante Adams and Jameson Williams — all of whom play the same complementary role he’s now positioning himself for.
“There’s not a No. 2 on a team — let’s presumably give people the credit and just say, ‘OK, you want to take the No. 1 spot away,'” Diggs said. “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?”
The Numbers Behind the Confidence
Diggs isn’t just talking. Last season with New England, he caught 85 passes for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns across 17 games, leading the Patriots in receiving while playing for a team that reached the Super Bowl. It marked his seventh career 1,000-yard season and came one year after a torn ACL limited him to eight games in Houston.
The advanced numbers back up the counting stats. Diggs posted 0.16 EPA per route run last season, third-best among all wide receivers behind only Puka Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, according to Next Gen Stats (minimum 200 routes run). His 16.1 catches over expected ranked second in the league, trailing only Nacua, and his 259 receiving yards over expected ranked fourth, behind Nacua, Smith-Njigba and Pickens.
| Player | EPA/Route Rank | Catches Over Expected Rank | Yards Over Expected Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Puka Nacua | 1st | 1st | 1st |
| Jaxon Smith-Njigba | 2nd | — | 2nd |
| Stefon Diggs | 3rd | 2nd | 4th |
| George Pickens | — | — | 3rd |
Those numbers explain why Diggs feels he still belongs near the top of the league at his position, even in a diminished role. The efficiency metrics suggest he wasn’t just accumulating volume in a Patriots offense that needed him — he was producing at an elite rate relative to how often he was targeted.
Why He’s Still Unemployed
New England moved on from Diggs this offseason, releasing him in a cap-clearing move before trading for wide receiver A.J. Brown and signing Romeo Doubs in free agency. The move gave New England a true No. 1 target in Brown, pushing Diggs toward the same secondary role he’s now embracing publicly.
Diggs’ path to a new contract was complicated for months by an off-field legal matter. He faced assault and strangulation allegations from his former personal chef stemming from a December 2025 incident, was found not guilty in May, and last month the NFL determined he would not face discipline, concluding there was insufficient evidence of a personal conduct policy violation. That review is now closed, clearing the last real obstacle between Diggs and a roster spot.
He’s one of several notable veterans still on the market as camps approach, according to NFL.com’s rankings of the top remaining free agents. Teams with a hole opposite an established No. 1 receiver — and enough cap room to make it worth Diggs’ while — represent his most realistic path back onto a roster before Week 1.
What Happens Next
Diggs turns 33 in November, which complicates his market even at a discounted price. But the same pattern repeats every summer: veteran playmakers sit unsigned deep into July, then land jobs once a starter goes down in camp or a young receiver fails to develop as hoped. Diggs has made clear he’s willing to take that route, provided everyone agrees on what he’s worth once he gets there.
