Drake Maye has a brand new No. 1 large receiver.
The New England Patriots reportedly agreed to phrases with Stefon Diggs on a three-year deal on Tuesday. Diggs’ contract is price as much as $69 million with $26 million assured, in line with a number of stories.
Diggs immediately turns into the Patriots’ most notable and highest-paid large receiver with the contract, becoming a member of a room that’s principally younger and underperformed in 2024. In fact, he is additionally acquired some questions surrounding him, too. Diggs’ lone season with the Houston Texans ended prematurely, tearing his ACL of their eighth sport of the yr.
So, signing Diggs won’t be thought of as a lot of a house run now as it will’ve been a few years in the past – however possibly it needs to be.
Grading the Patriots’ signing of Stefon Diggs
Lastly, the Patriots have a bona fide No. 1 large receiver.
Diggs has undoubtedly been one of many NFL’s greatest large receivers for the reason that flip of the last decade. He carried a six-year streak of 1,000-plus receiving yards earlier than tearing his ACL in 2024, snapping one of many extra spectacular runs a large receiver has had in current reminiscence.
Despite the fact that Diggs did not end out the 2024 season, he was nonetheless extremely productive within the brief time he was on the sector. He recorded 47 receptions for 496 yards and three touchdowns in eight video games, placing him on tempo for roughly 99 receptions, 1,054 yards and 6 touchdowns over the course of a 17-game season.
Clearly, if Diggs had remained wholesome, there is not any assure that he would’ve continued to provide at a near-100-reception tempo. A few of his stats got here throughout Nico Collins’ absence in the midst of the season and in his ultimate yr with the Buffalo Payments, Diggs’ numbers tailed off towards the top of the yr. He solely had one receiving landing within the ultimate 10 video games of the 2023 season (playoff video games included), recording simply two video games with greater than 60 receiving yards throughout that stretch.
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Nevertheless, some underlying metrics graded out Diggs as among the best large receivers final season. When it comes to producing on a route-by-route foundation, Diggs ranked third in ESPN’s general large receiver rating. His catch ranking was additionally tied for the fifth-best ranking amongst all large receivers and tight ends in 2024, recording simply two drops.
The robust underlying metrics for Diggs’ efficiency in 2024 do not cease there. C.J. Stroud had a 108 passer ranking when focusing on Diggs, proving to be a reliable receiver for the second-year quarterback, per Professional Soccer Focus. Whereas his common depth of goal (ADOT) wasn’t deep down the sector at 8.3, his 4.1 drop proportion was the Fifteenth-best mark amongst receivers with not less than 60 targets final season, in line with PFF.
That is the form of surefire large receiver Drake Maye wants getting into his second season with the Patriots. DeMario Douglas had reliable arms (1.5 p.c), however nobody else on the Patriots’ roster gives the reliability that Diggs does.
There’s clearly the priority that Diggs is getting back from an ACL tear. As he turns 32 in November, it is cheap to be a bit fearful that he won’t be capable to deliver a lot of a spark to the Patriots’ passing sport. However he needs to be on the sector, although. Diggs is on monitor to be again on the sector by Week 1, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported.
That enables the Patriots to enter the NFL Draft in April to be a bit extra free with how they wish to make their picks. Earlier than, the consensus opinion was that New England needed to draft Travis Hunter at No. 4 if he was there (the Patriots ought to nonetheless do this as he’d be a powerful match with Diggs). Now, they’ll not less than take into consideration buying and selling the decide in the event that they get an important supply or probably draft another person if Hunter and Abdul Carter aren’t on the board.
The assured cash additionally makes this deal extremely tenable. At $26 million assured, it is unlikely that Diggs will carry a lot of a useless cap quantity past this season. So, this should not hamstring the Patriots past 2025 if Diggs does not produce.
Nonetheless, there needs to be an expectation that Diggs can produce at a powerful stage in 2025, and that alone makes this signing a win for the Patriots.
Grade: A-