The Patriots entered the 2025 offseason aware of one of their most pressing needs: finding their next WR1. Although they missed out on some of the most desirable free agents, they eventually signed Stefon Diggs, a player not a single fan ever thought would suit up with New England.
His storied career had become bumpy in recent years, with a fallout in Buffalo leading to his forced trade to the Texans last year. He was on his way to continuing as one of the best receivers in the league, only to suffer an ACL injury to prematurely end his season. That was a big reason Diggs remained a free agent until the Patriots signed him, but he's still considered the top option for Drake Maye this fall.
It was a long time coming for what feels like an eternity without a clear top target, as it could be argued the last time the Patriots had a player of that caliber was when Julian Edelman was still on the roster.
They now have a shutdown receiver for their second-year quarterback to work with, which should be exciting. However, some analysts, most notably Boston Sports Journal's Greg Bedard, have suggested that Mike Vrabel and Co. could trade Diggs before the season begins for no apparent reason.
The Patriots should not even consider trading Stefon Diggs before he takes a snap in Foxboro
While assessing the current Patriots' roster, Bedard discussed the receiving corps and who he deems to be instant roster locks.
Among those mentioned was Diggs, obviously, but then the longtime journalist implied there's a chance the Patriots could move on from him before he even suits up for a game, without any legitimate reason to explain that possibility.
“Diggs, (Mack) Hollins and (Kyle) Williams are the stone-cold locks. I am, however, not guaranteeing that Diggs is on this roster, although I would put it at about 95 percent. My only allowance: the team isn’t thrilled with Diggs, for whatever reason, a legit No. 1 becomes available, and Diggs goes out in a trade for the new No. 1 WR. Long shot, but I’m not totally ruling it out."
There's not a whole lot of reason to suggest the Patriots won't be thrilled with Diggs at some point during training camp, especially since he has already made a good impression with the work he's been doing while he's still rehabbing from his ACL injury. Although there was a hiccup with the photo scandal from last month, it has since subsided, and the expectation is that Diggs will be a significant part of the team's offense this fall.
Suppose Bedard had mentioned that as a continued issue, then perhaps the idea of the Patriots exploring a trade would make more sense. However, that wasn't the case. If Diggs' injury continues to be a concern, that is certainly a valid reason to explore their options. Yet, at the same time, what team is trading for a player who is clearly being moved because he can't perform at the level they need?
On top of it all, there's nearly zero chance that a player equal to or better than Diggs on any given day will randomly become available between now and the start of the regular season. While there are some situations to monitor, like that between the Commanders and Terry McLaurin, teams don't just trade their best receiver for no reason, so the chances of that happening are slimmer than the Patriots trading Diggs.
It seems like a wild take that is more meant to be provocative than backed up with any real information. Maybe Bedard knows more than he's letting on, but so far, there hasn't been any indication that Vrabel and Co. want to get rid of Diggs already. So it shouldn't be something to worry about.
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