Ex-Patriots Teammates Want Stefon Diggs Back, But Reunion Feels Unlikely
The New England Patriots leaned on Stefon Diggs a lot last season as their top wideout. One year later, and the team has pivoted their attention to Romeo Doubs (and possibly AJ Brown).
As for Diggs, he remains a free agent after being released by the Patriots back in March. But that doesn't mean that he -- or his former teammates -- have mentally ruled out the idea of a return for 2026. Taking to Instagram this week, the former Pro Bowl wideout posted a highlight video from his one year with the Patriots.
The caption got to the point: Diggs is more than capable of playing at a high level and has no interest in remaining on the open market.
Diggs' Former Teammates Supporting Him
"This is not an opinion-based sport, so here are the numbers. I played 52% of the snaps and finished with 85 catches for 1,045 yards coming off an ACL," Diggs wrote. "Where we going?"
Naturally, plenty of people ran to the comment section. They were greeted by several Patriots players who expressed interest in the wide receiver returning to the roster next season. Defensive tackle Milton Williams commented an eyes emoji, while cornerback Christian Gonzalez simply said "to the pats."
Christian Gonzalez, Milton Williams, and other members of the #Patriots seem to want Stefon Diggs back in New England…
- Carlos A. Lopez (@LosTalksPats) May 7, 2026
Diggs: "Where we going? "
Gonzalez: "To the pats"
Williams: ""
( stefondiggs IG) pic.twitter.com/eNp6SwJmUj
Diggs responded with eye emojis to both comments. Edge rusher Bradyn Swinson also told Diggs to "bring yo ass back."
Does Diggs Want To Return To NE?
It wasn't just the current Patriots who tried to get Diggs on their teams. Anfernee Jennings, who's now on the New Orleans Saints, commented "Who Dat," while Jaylinn Hawkins urged him to sign with the Ravens -- "Come to Bmore though Cuzzo," he wrote.
A Patriots Return Is Slim To None
Is a return for Diggs likely? On paper, it doesn't appear that way. The Patriots signed Doubs to a large four-year contract in free agency, and have been sniffing around the potential of trading for Brown for months. With both of those players in the offensive fold, adding Diggs -- while bringing another weapon to the passing attack -- doesn't appear to make much sense.
The Patriots cut ties with Diggs back in March, freeing up more than $20 million in cap space. He had signed a three-year deal worth $60 million the prior offseason, but the team decided to move on from the 32-year-old wide receiver. But Diggs didn't leave on bad terms, posting on social media about how he still feels love for the team.
Why is Diggs still available as a free agent? A lot of it had to do with his legal situation. Back in December, he was accused of getting into a physical altercation with a live-in personal chef over a financial dispute. He had allegedly strangled the chef and was facing charges of assault and battery, and strangulation.
After an extremely quick trial in Dedham, Massachusetts, Diggs was found not guilty on all the charges. While there hasn't been an update on if the NFL plans to issue a punishment on Diggs, it now opens the door for any NFL team to bring him along for the season.
It likely won't be New England, who can use Doubs in a similar role. The former Packers star is six years younger than Diggs and could work both inside and outside of the numbers. Should the Patriots be successful in acquiring Brown from Philadelphia, that could push Doubs to more of a slot role -- something Diggs was last year.
Adding Diggs could be a great move if they want to bring in as much wide receiver talent as possible, but it probably won't happen -- unless he takes a drastic pay cut from what he was making in 2025.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/patriots/onsi as Ex-Patriots Teammates Want Stefon Diggs Back, But Reunion Feels Unlikely.
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This story was originally published May 8, 2026 at 11:00 AM.