After a little bit of a quiet stretch from the first wave of free agency, news broke that the New York Giants and quarterback Russell Wilson agreed on a one-year deal that will bring the former Super Bowl champ to New York. Right after that news, Adam Schefter broke the news that the New England Patriots signed former Buffalo Bills wideout Stefon Diggs to a three-year deal worth up to $69 million.
Diggs, who was traded from the Bills to the Houston Texans last April, is now coming back to the AFC East to catch passes from Drake Maye. The Patriots desperately needed wide receiver help and Diggs sure is an upgrade, but is he a phenomenal upgrade? Absolutely not.
Now, when you look at the contract, you may think that the Patriots paid Diggs a lot of money. However, that necessarily isn’t the case.
Boston Herald writer Andrew Callahan broke down the contract and the guaranteed amount of money compared to the total amount is nowhere near each other. "It's a longer deal (3 years), so they get a fully healthy Diggs in 2026 and 2027, but the gap in guaranteed money ($26 million) to total money ($69 million) indicates the team can still cut bait in case things go south." Callahan wrote on X.
Patriots' laughable Stefon Diggs contract proves the Bills were right
Out of $69 million, only $26 million is guaranteed. Based on what Callahan stated, the Patriots are showing us that while Diggs could be an upgrade for their roster, there isn’t a full belief that they have confidence in him.
Even giving $26 million guaranteed to a wide receiver who is coming off a torn ACL from last season is a very risky move. I guess when you need any sort of upgrade, you’re willing to overpay.
Diggs is now set to see the Bills twice a year, whether it’s just in 2025 or even longer. It wasn’t the best parting between Buffalo and Diggs as there was reported tension between them from the end of 2022, which resulted in him being traded to Houston and the Bills taking on a $30 million+ dead cap hit.
New England has been spending money during this free agency frenzy and they do it again with the signing of Diggs. Buckle up, Bills Mafia, New England vs. Buffalo games just got a whole lot more interesting.