NFL Network analyst Maurice Jones-Drew pushed for the Seattle Seahawks to sign veteran free-agent wideout Stefon Diggs today. For a team that is in desperate need of help at wide receiver, there is a certain logic to this. But if history is any indication, this is a bad gamble.
While a member of the Buffalo Bills, Diggs made the Pro Bowl for four straight years between 2020 and 2023. His career numbers place him in elite company. 857 career catches puts him in 32nd place all-time. His yardage and touchdowns hover right at the fringe of the top 50. Diggs also has a past relationship with new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who was the quarterback coach with Minnesota in 2019.
On paper, there may be a logic to this, but John Schneider needs to consider several red flags. For one thing, that relationship with Kubiak is iffy at best. Kubiak took over as QB coach in 2019. At the end of that season, Diggs essentially forced his way out of Minnesota. There’s no reason to assume that a new quarterback coach had anything to do with that movie, but it would be equally erroneous to infer some sort of good relationship.
Could Stefon Diggs be a great option in free agency for the Seattle Seahawks?
All in all, the connection to Kubiak barely registers.
What is far more troubling is the fact that Stefon Diggs, as great as he has been, will turn 32 during the upcoming season and is recovering from a severe ACL tear. That type of injury can derail the career of much younger players. Guessing as to how it might affect the speed and agility of an older receiver is virtually impossible. But it is not a good bet.
Before his injury, Diggs was having a decent season in Houston, but signs of regression were evident. He was on pace to have his lowest yards-per-catch since 2018 and his fewest receiving touchdowns since 2019. That makes some sense, given that he was not Houston’s top wideout, as he had been much of his time in Buffalo.
Nico Collins was the clear number-one option for the Texans last year. The version of Stefon Diggs that played reasonably well for eight weeks in Houston was not the same Stefon Diggs that dominated in Buffalo. He was not a deep threat. He ran more underneath routes. In a sense, he ran the types of complementary routes that Jaxon Smith-Njigba owned for Seattle last season alongside D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.
If JSN plays a similar role in 2025, then Diggs will not offer the variety Seattle needs. If, on the other hand, Diggs can still be a deep threat, he would be an excellent addition. The problem is that no one really knows what kind of condition Stefon Diggs will be in or if he will even be healthy enough to play at the start of the 2025 season.
I live ten miles from where Stefon Diggs starred in high school and five miles from where he shone in college. I have been a fan of his for close to 15 years. And I would very much like to see him come back strong. But receivers past the age of 30 are not a great bet, and receivers past 30 coming off an ACL have to be suspect.
Maurice Jones-Drew may be right. Diggs to Seattle could be a great move. Seattle has not really left itself a lot of alternatives. Perhaps it is best to roll the dice and hope for a miracle. But it is still a pretty big gamble that is unlikely to pay off nearly as well as it appears on paper.
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