The New England Patriots will be figuring out how to go one better than they did last season, as Mike Vrabel's team made it to the Super Bowl and lost.
The general approach would be to keep as many players as possible, while adding some key pieces in free agency and the draft.
The need for Drake Maye to get a better receiver room is high on the to-do list, or at least another good weapon to pair with Stefon Diggs.
But for CBS Sports' Tyler Sullivan, he's named Diggs as a potential cut candidate this offseason.
"Stefon Diggs was one of the key cogs in New England, catapulting from a rebuilding team to playing in the Super Bowl last season, but his status for 2026 is hardly secure," Sullivan writes. "In 2025, Diggs' base salary was just $2.9 million with a $10.5 million cap number, however. This coming season, that base salary jumps to $20.6 million, and his cap number rises to $26.5 million."
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How will Patriots deal with Diggs' cap number?
As Sullivan wrote, the Patriots will likely try to restructure Diggs' contract, and most of the time, it is a simple thing that shifts money into the future.
If the Patriots do restructure Diggs' contract, per Over The Cap, they would save $9.7 million. But a pre-June 1 cut sees the franchise eat $9 million in dead money and save $16 million. Conversely, a trade on June 1 would save the Patriots $20 million and cost them just $5 million in dead money.
So, there are options at the Patriots' disposal, and in an ideal world, the franchise would keep Diggs around and pair him with another quality receiver.
How the franchise approaches this will be fascinating to watch.
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