Stefon Diggs who tore his ACL in October, still finished with 47 catches for 496 yards and three touchdowns in eight games for the Texans.
Stefon Diggs who tore his ACL in October, still finished with 47 catches for 496 yards and three touchdowns in eight games for the Texans.Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press
The Patriots hosted free gent wide receiver Stefon Diggs on a visit in Foxborough Wednesday, according to a league source.
Diggs, 31, has been in the NFL for 10 seasons, playing for Minnesota, Buffalo, and Houston, and has caught 857 passes for 10,491 yards, and 70 touchdowns. His 2024 season ended after a torn ACL he suffered in October; he still finished with 47 catches for 496 yards and three touchdowns in eight games for the Texans.
The 6-foot, 191-pounder has had 100-plus receptions four straight years from 2020-23 with the Bills.The Maryland product has been at or near the top of the league in receptions, including having a league-leading 127 catches in 2020.
The Patriots’ efforts at bolstering the receiver room have been underwhelming over the past year. They were not able to land free agent Chris Godwin, who turned down more money from the Patriots to return to the Buccaneers. Tee Higgins was franchised by the Bengals. They made overtures about landing DK Metcalf, but the Seahawks dealt him to the Steelers. And Deebo Samuel was traded from the Niners to the Commanders.
The Patriots did add veteran Mack Hollins, but it appears they’ve turned their attention to Diggs, a receiver who was a thorn in their side for many years when he was with Buffalo (61 catches for 779 yards and eight touchdowns in 10 career regular-season games against the Patriots). In New England, he would move to the top of the depth chart, and provide young quarterback Drake Maye with another target in the passing game.
With Diggs, the big question is health. It’s not known where he is in his recovery from the torn ACL, but given the timeline and a nine-12-month rehab, he could be available early in 2025. Those health-related questions could mean the Patriots might be getting Diggs at a relative discount when you stack his potential deal against some of the receivers at the upper end of the free agent market this offseason.
Christopher Price can be reached at christopher.price@globe.com. Follow him @cpriceglobe.