Stefon Diggs signs one-year, $12 million deal with Commanders

Key facts

Diggs signs a one-year deal with Washington worth up to $12 million, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter
2025 stats with New England: 85 catches, 1,013 yards, 4 TDs in 17 games; led team with 102 targets
Career totals: 942 catches, 11,504 yards, 74 TDs over 161 regular-season games (153 starts), four-time Pro Bowler (2020-23)
Acquitted May 5 by a Dedham, Massachusetts jury of assault/strangulation charges; NFL found insufficient evidence of conduct-policy violation, no suspension
Released by Patriots on March 4 due to rising cap hits ($10.5M to $26.5M) on prior three-year, $63.5M deal
Signing effectively ends Commanders’ pursuit of 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who remains on San Francisco’s reserve/left squad list

The deal

Wide receiver Stefon Diggs has agreed to a one-year contract with the Washington Commanders worth up to $12 million, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and confirmed by multiple outlets on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. The deal makes Washington the 32-year-old’s fourth team in four seasons, following stints with the Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans and New England Patriots. Diggs was released by New England on March 4, a move driven by cap hits on his three-year, $63.5 million deal that were set to jump from $10.5 million to $26.5 million in each of the next two seasons.

What he brings

Diggs is a four-time Pro Bowl selection (2020-23 with Buffalo) who has 942 career catches for 11,504 yards and 74 touchdowns across 161 regular-season games and 153 starts over 12 NFL seasons. In 2025 with New England, he caught 85 passes for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns in all 17 games, marking his seventh 1,000-yard season in the last eight years. He led the Patriots in targets (102), receptions and receiving yards. His 83.3% catch rate last season was the second-highest by a wide receiver in the past 45 seasons, according to CBS Sports Research, behind only Michael Thomas’s 85% mark with New Orleans in 2018. Diggs also posted 110 yards and a touchdown on 14 catches over four playoff games as the Patriots reached Super Bowl LX, a 29-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. According to Pro Football Focus charting data cited by SB Nation, Diggs led New England with 77 short-area targets (line of scrimmage to nine yards downfield) last season, well ahead of Mack Hollins’ 30.

Legal background

The Guardian and CBS Sports both note Diggs faced a turbulent offseason off the field. He was tried on charges of strangling or assaulting his private chef in an alleged December incident and was acquitted by a jury in Dedham, Massachusetts, on May 5. The following month, the NFL determined there was insufficient evidence of a personal conduct policy violation, meaning Diggs faces no suspension in 2026. Outlets note this legal situation likely contributed to him remaining unsigned longer than is typical for a receiver coming off a 1,000-yard season.

Fit with Washington

Diggs joins a Commanders receiving corps led by Terry McLaurin, a two-time Pro Bowler, along with Antonio Williams, Luke McCaffrey, Dyami Brown, tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo and running back Rachaad White. CBS Sports projects Diggs as its WR36 in early 2026 fantasy rankings, forecasting 74 catches, 864 yards and five touchdowns, while noting his 9.9 yards per target with New England was his best mark since 2019 and his 2.42 yards per route run ranked seventh among receivers with at least 50 targets last season. Analysts expect McLaurin to remain the team’s primary vertical threat — he had 32 deep targets in 2024 under a healthy Jayden Daniels, by far the most on the team — while Diggs, a self-described top “No. 2” receiver, takes over the short-and-intermediate target share vacated by Deebo Samuel, who led Washington with 26 such targets last season before his departure to San Francisco. New offensive coordinator David Blough, who replaces Kliff Kingsbury, is expected to lean on under-center, play-action passing that could suit Diggs’ crossing routes.

Ripple effects

The signing effectively closes the door on any Commanders trade for disgruntled 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk, according to Yahoo Sports and NBC Sports; Aiyuk remains on San Francisco’s reserve/left squad list. CBS Sports also suggests the addition could indirectly help Washington’s ground game, with added attention on McLaurin and Diggs potentially opening rushing lanes for Jacory Croskey-Merritt, while reducing the offensive role for Rachaad White if he’s limited to third downs.

What’s next

Diggs, who turns 33 in November, enters his 12th NFL season and is expected to begin working into Washington’s offense during training camp alongside quarterback Jayden Daniels and McLaurin as the Commanders prepare for the 2026 season.

Sources

Featured photo: Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)