Cardi B and Stefon Diggs #8 of the New England Patriots celebrate after the AFC Championship game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field At Mile High on January 25, 2026 in Denver, Colorado
Cardi B and Stefon Diggs in Denver in January 2026.
Cardi B "pulled back" from her relationship with Stefon Diggs after it got "too heated and complicated," a source tells PEOPLE.
The rapper fueled breakup speculation with a curt comment for Diggs ahead of his team's appearance in the 2026 Super Bowl
The former couple welcomed a son last November
Cardi B pumped the brakes on her relationship with Stefon Diggs.
Breakup rumors have been swirling around the rapper, 33, and the New England Patriots wide receiver, 32, since the 2026 Super Bowl in early February. Now, a source tells PEOPLE that the Grammy winner has decided to go in a new direction.
The former couple shares one son together, whom they welcomed on Nov. 4, 2025. Cardi is also mom to daughter Kulture, 7½, son Wave, 4, and daughter Blossom, 17 months, from her marriage to rapper Offset.
"Things were getting too heated and complicated. Cardi is very no-nonsense," the source says. "The second she felt that she couldn't trust him, she pulled back to focus on her kids, her music and tour."
Stefon Diggs and Cardi B during Round 2 Game 4 of the 2025 NBA Playoffs on May 12, 2025 in New York City.
Stefon Diggs and Cardi B during Round 2 Game 4 of the 2025 NBA Playoffs on May 12, 2025 in New York City.
"She needs stability and wants the same for her kids," the insider adds of Cardi, while teasing that her connection with Diggs isn't entirely over.
"They co-parent and the door is not completely closed. They might reconnect in the future," the source says.
A rep for Cardi did not immediately return PEOPLE's request for comment.
On Feb. 15, Cardi said she isn’t "f---ing" with Diggs during the Los Angeles stop on her Little Miss Drama Tour.
The couple first fueled split speculation after the 2026 Super Bowl on Feb. 8— in which Diggs' Patriots lost 29-13 to the Seattle Seahawks — after the rapper and the wide receiver unfollowed each other's social media accounts.
Cardi attended the big game and even appeared in Bad Bunny's halftime show as a guest in La Casita before Diggs returned to the field for the third quarter. Cardi, real name Belcalis Almánzar, apparently left the game early, as she posted a video on her Instagram Stories of herself singing a Bad Bunny song from her car shortly after halftime ended.
The day prior, an ESPN reporter asked Cardi B if she had a message of encouragement for Diggs ahead of the big game, to which the rapper offered a curt "good luck" before walking away.
While speaking to reporters ahead of the Super Bowl, Diggs hinted at plans to propose to his rapper girlfriend. “It’s on the agenda, maybe, right? Right?” he said. "I gotta get [my ring] first.”
Cardi B and Diggs were first linked in October 2024 when podcaster DJ Akademiks made claims on his YouTube channel that the rapper and the NFL player were romantically involved. Cardi addressed the rumors later that month, neither confirming nor denying the claims.
"The internet is insane. All these rumors are so crazy. That's why I don't want to address it, because this s--- is funny," Cardi said on an Instagram Live. "I'm just going to let it ride out, because I think it's cute. It's funny. I'm going to let people think what they want to think."
Cardi B attends the 67th GRAMMY Awards on February 02, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Cardi B attends the 67th GRAMMY Awards on February 02, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Months later, the duo were seen together at a Miami hotel on Valentine's Day in 2025, and at a nightclub in New York City days earlier.
The couple made their first public appearance at a New York Knicks game in May, where they sat together courtside holding hands. Cardi B made their relationship Instagram official by posting a snap of her and Diggs together on a yacht, plus a video of her apparently giving Diggs a lap dance.
“Chapter 5 ... Hello Chapter six,” she wrote in the post's caption.
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Cardi B shares first pics of baby with Stefon Diggs
Cardi B shares first pics of baby with Stefon Diggs
In September 2025, during an appearance on CBS Mornings on Sept. 17, she told anchor Gayle King that she and Diggs were expecting their first baby together.
"I'm happy. I feel like I'm in a good space. I feel very strong, very powerful that I'm doing all this work — but I'm doing all this work while I'm creating a baby," she said, adding that Diggs "just makes me feel safe and very confident and very strong."
The couple welcomed their baby on Nov. 4, 2025, Cardi's rep confirmed to PEOPLE at the time.
Diggs is also a father to multiple children of his own.