Since Stefon Diggs’ surprising rookie season, he has never not been in demand.
Even a year ago in March, Diggs signed a three-year $63.5 million with the New England Patriots despite coming off a torn ACL. Then he had 1,013 receiving yards and played in a Super Bowl for the Patriots last season. A year before that, he was part of a trade between the Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans that the NFL world buzzed about.
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That’s why this offseason has been unusual. Diggs, a four-time Pro Bowler, was cut by the Patriots and still is unsigned as of mid-July. There are multiple reasons. Diggs has been battling lawsuits, including one in which he was found not guilty of assault and strangulation in May. Diggs’ relationship with rap star Cardi B brought plenty of new off-field attention. As a player, his age is part of his story now. He will turn 33 in November. Though he got to 1,000 yards for the Patriots, his play has slipped from its peak over the past few seasons.
Diggs posted a video to his YouTube page that amounted to a combination of a pitch to NFL teams and also a therapy session. He talked about having a hard year in between clips of him working out, including running routes in the sand. Included in the montage is a video of Diggs holding the AFC championship trophy less than six months ago.
“I’m thankful of where I’m at, but here I am picking up the pieces,” Diggs said in the video. “I’ll be fine. I know I’ll be fine.”
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Diggs isn’t the only star who remains unsigned with OTAs wrapped up for teams and training camp a couple weeks away. Receivers Tyreek Hill and Deebo Samuel, cornerback Marshon Lattimore, and edge rushers Haason Reddick and Joey Bosa are a few more of the players who were stars just a few years ago but are still looking for a new team.
Some of the unsigned veterans will fade out of the league without fanfare. It happens all the time. The NFL moves on fast.
Stefon Diggs: ‘I can compete with anybody’
The headline that came out of Diggs’ video was his comment about being better than every team’s No. 2 receiver.
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“Name your No. 2 receiver right now, and tell me how much he makes,” Diggs said in the video. “And my last question is, ‘Is he better than me?'”
In the video, Diggs talks about being a big part of a Patriots team that won the AFC and how he was a leader. In many ways it has to be strange to go from the leading receiver for a 14-3 team to waiting on a new contract.
“My opinion, I can compete with anybody,” Diggs said, speaking of the receivers around the NFL.
Diggs was a fifth-round draft pick by the Minnesota Vikings in 2015, and practically speaking that’s the last time he has been ignored like this. He has been a very good receiver for 11 seasons and in 2020 he might have been the best in the NFL, leading the league in receptions and yards while being named first-team All-Pro.
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But the days of Diggs being an NFL superstar are fading already.
Tyreek Hill also looking for a team
In 2022, Hill and Diggs were each in the top five of the NFL in receiving yards and at that point among the league’s most marketable stars. That wasn’t long ago, though it feels like it this offseason.
Hill is also unsigned, another player whose off-field issues are part of his story. He’s also at an advanced age for a receiver, having turned 32 in March, and Hill is coming off a major knee injury that ended his 2025 season. They’re all reasons Hill remains without a team as training camp looms. Like Diggs, Hill has posted workout videos on social media, presumably trying to show he’s healthy and ready to play.
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However, Bleacher Report’s James Palmer said in late June that it’s “wishful thinking” that Hill plays this season. Hill is only two seasons removed from being one of the NFL’s best players, leading the league with 1,799 receiving yards as he was a first-team All-Pro. He has been a first-team All-Pro five times. Now his football future is in serious doubt.
For almost all NFL players, their status in the league can be fleeting. Diggs, Hill and other stars could find new teams before the start of the season, but likely on short-term deals far below what they were making at their peaks.
The NFL has shorter careers and higher roster turnover than every other major sport. Many well-known veterans are faced with that harsh reality during the offseason.
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