This is going to be an interesting year for teams in the market for help at wide receiver, and Texans WR Stefon Diggs is representative of the dilemma they’ll face. Diggs is one of a host of name-brand veteran receivers set to be available whose on-field impact isn’t what it used to be, but seems to still have gas left in the tank. The question is how much — and what is the cost going to be to find out?
In Diggs’ case, there’s the additional complication of his torn ACL suffered halfway through last season, which he’ll be trying to come back from at the age of 31. Even before the injury, Diggs was starting to look like a diminished player from his prime just two years earlier. He was markedly less efficient in his final season in Buffalo in 2023 despite seeing the same workload with 160 targets. His 2024 season in Houston looked similar, with 47 catches, 496 yards and four total touchdowns in eight games.
That’s not elite production but Diggs could still be a productive starter. Based on the past two years, Diggs can fit as a chain-moving slot receiver who can create separation on underneath patterns and serve as a No. 2 or No. 3 option. He should not be a No. 1 option for a passing game and has lost some effectiveness as a downfield threat compared to his prime.
Teams will have to figure out how Diggs’ ACL rehab factors into his projection but there are enough receiver-needy squads to create a legitimate market for Diggs. The Texans have expressed interest in bringing him back after trading a second-round pick for him last year but will let him test his market. What that will be is hard to quantify. DeAndre Hopkins signed a two-year, $26 million deal with the Titans in July of 2023, which isn’t an apples-to-apples comparison but is close enough to be relevant.
Diggs, 31, is a former fifth-round pick of the Vikings back in 2015. He was in the final year of his rookie contract when he agreed to a five-year extension worth $72 million with the Vikings in 2018.
The Vikings traded Diggs to the Bills in 2020 for a package of draft picks including a first-round selection.
Diggs was set to make base salaries of $11.775 million and $11.85 million over the final two years of his deal in 2022 and 2023 when Buffalo signed him to a four-year, $104 million extension.
He was due base salaries of $18.5 million and $18 million over the next two seasons when the Bills traded him to the Texans for a 2025 second-round pick. Houston reworked his contract to give him a raise and make him an unrestricted free agent in 2025.
In 2024, Diggs appeared in eight games for the Texans and caught 47 passes on 64 targets for 496 yards and three touchdowns. He added three carries for eight yards and another touchdown.
We have Diggs listed in our Top 100 Free Agents List for 2025.
New York Giants
Familiarity is often the second-most important factor to money when it comes to players changing teams in free agency. In the case of Diggs, however, familiarity is a double-edged sword because of how he’s worn out his welcome with two separate franchises in Minnesota and Buffalo. Just because someone worked with him in the past doesn’t mean they’ll want to work with him again.
In the case of the Giants, I think there are multiple connections between the organization and Diggs that can be viewed positively. Giants GM Joe Schoen was a key front office lieutenant when the Bills swung their blockbuster trade for Diggs, and he had a front-row seat as Diggs helped elevate QB Josh Allen and the team into contender status. By the time things were souring, Schoen had left for New York.
The same is true for Giants HC Brian Daboll, who was the play-caller for Diggs’ first two seasons. Other Giants assistants overlapped with Diggs, including most notably new assistant QB coach Chad Hall who was Diggs’ position coach and someone the veteran receiver has raved about as a person who helped him take his game to new heights. Hall’s exit in 2022 in fact might have been the beginning of the end for Diggs in Buffalo.
So the Giants have plenty of key personnel who know Diggs, have seen him at his best and know how to get it out of him. The next part of the conversation is need and compensation, and the Giants fit in both areas. The Giants can afford a mid-range deal for Diggs, even with the other needs they have to address. New York has around $40 million in effective cap space but can easily create more with cuts and restructures.
Receiver isn’t discussed as much as other needs, but the Giants absolutely need more playmakers on offense. Last year’s first-round WR Malik Nabers is a budding star and the Giants have high hopes for WR Wan’Dale Robinson as a slot receiver. Diggs would give them a viable third option in the passing game and make life easier for Daboll and whoever the quarterback ends up being.
For his part, Diggs would likely welcome playing in a market like New York, especially if someone like, say, Aaron Rodgers is throwing the ball.
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams will be entering a transition year on offense with their skill position players, moving on from WR Cooper Kupp and clearing the way for WR Puka Nacua to be the centerpiece of the offense. Los Angeles needs to rebuild the rest of the room around Nacua, however, and while they re-signed WR Tutu Atwell to a surprisingly strong deal, more is needed.
Diggs stands out as a fit in the same way that Odell Beckham Jr. was as a prized target by Los Angeles a few years ago. Diggs’ game is similar to Beckham’s at this stage in each of their careers, with less explosive athleticism but plenty of veteran savvy to be a friendly target on shorter routes. Beckham was also viewed as a strong personality, but hard worker — another parallel to Diggs. The Rams had no problems with Beckham and likely wouldn’t with Diggs.
The question will be price. The Rams are moving on from Kupp because he’s due $20 million. They didn’t even approach Kupp about a pay cut, suggesting the preference is to get way cheaper. If Diggs creates a bidding war, it does not feel like the Rams will be involved. If his market is cooler than expected and he hangs around on the open market for a few weeks, perhaps then Los Angeles could pounce.
Los Angeles Chargers
Receiver is a glaring need for the Chargers despite hitting the pick of second-round WR Ladd McConkey out of the park. They should be able to get their pick of options in the veteran market and could even swing a trade for a big fish if things line up right. Los Angeles has over $80 million in cap space and QB Justin Herbert is someone receivers all over the league would line up to play with, especially in a place like Los Angeles.
Diggs does a lot of the same things McConkey does but the younger wideout has more juice and downfield ability at this stage. What Diggs can bring is a reliable veteran presence to the room and a layer of redundancy if the injury bug bites McConkey again.
New York Jets
At first glance, the Jets and Diggs seem like a weird fit. New York just cut Davante Adams and has question marks at quarterback. The more you dig in, though, the more sense it starts to make. New York still has Garrett Wilson under contract at receiver but beyond him it gets bleak quickly. There’s 2024 third-round WR Malachi Corley who couldn’t get on the field last year and has to win over a new regime. Xavier Gipson, Irvin Charles and Malik Taylor round out the room.
The Jets probably need to add multiple receivers regardless of what they end up doing at quarterback. That alone puts them in the conversation for a veteran, and there are some interesting connections to Diggs. Jets advisor Rick Spielman was a key voice in the decision to hire GM Darren Mougey, who was the protege of Spielman’s protege in Minnesota, Broncos GM George Paton. Spielman was the GM of the Vikings when they drafted Diggs and is still working for the Jets’ front office.
Spielman was also the GM when the Vikings traded Diggs, so he might not offer a glowing recommendation. The decision will be Mougey’s, though, and he’ll at least have access to tons of information about Diggs. The need on the depth chart is clear and the Jets have a decent amount of cap space to work with. Mougey and HC Aaron Glenn have said they want to try to win right away, so adding a player like Diggs doesn’t necessarily clash with where they are in their team build. The quarterback is a question mark but it’s easy to see Diggs liking the idea of playing in New York.
Arizona Cardinals
Needs on defense have garnered more attention, but there have been a few quiet signs that the Cardinals would like to upgrade their receiving corps. They’re happy with 2024 first-round WR Marvin Harrison Jr. and expect him to take a major step forward in his second season but besides him the room is shallow, with Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch and not much else.
Adding Diggs to work in the slot with Wilson and Harrison outside would be a notable upgrade for the Cardinals. They’re in the top five in available cap space right now and could easily afford to take a shot on Diggs, and the presence of QB Kyler Murray should be a notable recruitment tool.
Both Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon and OC Drew Petzing also overlapped with Diggs in his early years in Minnesota, and Petzing was actually the assistant WR coach. That puts them in the sweet spot of familiarity with Diggs while not having front-row seats to when he forced his way out of town.
Dallas Cowboys
It’s an open question about whether the frugal Cowboys would be willing to shell out money for Diggs, even if his market ends up being reasonable. But there are two major reasons to consider the Cowboys as a landing spot. The first is the offense sorely needs more playmakers around star WR CeeDee Lamb. Dallas has a history of targeting veterans like Amari Cooper and Brandin Cooks, and Diggs fits the profile.
The second is that Dallas can give Diggs something no other team can right now — the chance to play with his little brother, CB Trevon Diggs. The younger Diggs is working his way back from a serious knee surgery right now and it’s an open question how much he’ll play in 2025, but for now he’s on the roster and that’s worth noting.
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