As the NFL offseason rolls on with mock drafts and free agency rumors, nothing can be finalized or even mentioned until next month.
Players can’t even sign with new teams until the start of the league year on March 12., though legal tampering begins on March 10.
While the Houston Texans will be in the market for several newcomers on offense, perhaps the top name to monitor is pending free agent Stefon Diggs. The four-time Pro Bowl initially was thought to be a one-year rental, but after Tank Dell’s season-ending injury that likely sidelines him for all of 2025, plans might have changed.
This week, CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco released his Top 100 free agent list for this upcoming offseason. Diggs was the only Texans’ player listed, coming in at No. 53 and ranking No. 5 among wide receivers.
“At 31, Stefon Diggs is getting toward the end of his career and he’s coming off a torn ACL suffered in Week 8 last season,” Prisco wrote. “That brings risk to a team that will sign him and probably limits him to a one-year deal. But he is a good veteran No. 2 now when healthy.”
Diggs, who caught 47 passes for 496 yards and three touchdowns in eight games, might be willing to sign a one-year deal to come back and better his value in 2026 while continuing to play for a competitive team. The two-time All-Pro was on pace for another 100-catch season before being limited to eight games.
The Texans also could afford to bring him back on a team-friendly one-year contract. Plus, Diggs has proven to be a high upside No. 2 threat, which bodes well for the offense since Nico Collins has transformed into a top-15 target in two years.
Diggs, however, could want a multi-year deal with a higher annual salary, something the Texans can’t cough up given other needs. Should he walk to the open market, Houston must pivot to other names looking for perhaps short-term deals.
Several options listed by Prisco include Washington Commanders Dyami Brown (No. 50), New York Giants Darius Slayton (No. 67), Kansas City Chiefs Hollywood Brown (No. 69), Chicago Bears Keenan Allen (No. 81) and former Texans All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins (No. 96).