The Patriots are adding the veteran wide receiver via a three-year contract.
Free agency winding down? Not so fast, says a New England Patriots team that has just made a splash: four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs is coming to New England via a reported three-year contract worth up to $69 million.
Let’s grade the deal.
Instant grade: Patriots sign Stefon Diggs to 3-year, $69M max deal
Bernd Buchmasser: Stefon Diggs is 31 and coming off a torn ACL, but he also is arguably the top wide receiver the team could have gotten at this point in free agency. The eventual contract details will tell the full story, but the investment seems like a solid one for the team: it gives Drake Maye an experienced pass catcher with a proven track record of high-end production — something he has not had in his career so far. | Grade: B+
Matt St. Jean: Even at this price tag, Diggs is the relatively low-risk, high-reward type of signing the Patriots should be making at WR. There’s a wide range of outcomes with a 31-year-old wideout coming off an ACL tear, but hopefully he can be a high-end No. 2 receiver at this point in his career. Having multiple years of team control means that if he plays well, he can build chemistry with Drake Maye and provide some stability at the position. It is hard not to imagine what a pairing of Travis Hunter and Stefon Diggs could look like with Maye. | Grade: A-
Pat Lane: The Patriots finally get their Pro Bowl receiver, and they pay handsomely to do so. A three-year deal for up to $69 million is a lot, but it’s also only $26 million guaranteed, so the Patriots have some protection as well. Even if Diggs isn’t ready to go Week 1, he is going to bring the floor of the receiving corps way up. | Grade: A+
Diggs becomes the ninth wide receiver under contract, and second added in free agency this year. The team had previously signed Mack Hollins to a two-year contract.
What do you think about the signing, though? Do you like it? Do you not? Please head to the comment section to discuss.