Stefon Diggs free agency rumors: Veteran WR making first visit of offseason with Patriots

Four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs is making his first team visit in free agency, meeting with the New England Patriots in Foxboro, according to The Athletic. This is Diggs' first visit of the offseason, per NFL Media, as the veteran wideout recovers from a torn ACL.

Diggs was one of the NFL's best wide receivers in the 2020s, but he's now 31 years old and coming off an ACL tear he suffered in Week 8 of the 2024 season with the Houston Texans. Another piece of sour news for Diggs is that his receiving yards per game and yards per catch have steadily declined lately. Plus, he is currently in the middle of a 19-game drought without 100 yards receiving, the longest stretch of his career. 

However, none of that may matter for a Patriots squad desperate to surround quarterback Drake Maye, the third overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, with pass-catching talent. New England's 2024 wide receiving core combined to total 1,723 yards receiving, the fewest of any team's wide receiver position group last season. Tight end Hunter Henry and wide receiver Demario Douglas co-led the Patriots in catches (66) while Hunter led the team in yards receiving (674).

Diggs' 492 receptions and 5,858 yards receiving since 2020 both rank as the sixth-most in the NFL. He helped 2024 NFL MVP and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen take a leap in his development after coming over in a trade from the Minnesota Vikings in 2020, and if the Patriots decide to sign him, that would indicate New England feels Diggs can perhaps do something similar for Maye.