Stefon Diggs Returns Home on Reported $12M Washington Commanders Deal/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ The Washington Commanders have agreed to sign veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs for the 2026 season, according to an AP source. The Maryland native could earn up to $12 million and gives quarterback Jayden Daniels another proven target alongside Terry McLaurin. Diggs joins Washington after recording 99 catches for 1,123 yards during New England’s run to the Super Bowl last season.
The Washington Commanders have agreed to sign veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs, adding an established playmaker to quarterback Jayden Daniels’ offense.
A person familiar with the agreement confirmed the deal to The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The source spoke on condition of anonymity because the Commanders had not officially announced the signing.
Diggs is joining Washington on a contract covering the 2026 season.
The 32-year-old can reportedly earn as much as $12 million under the agreement.
The move brings Diggs back to the Washington region. He is a native of nearby Gaithersburg, Maryland, and will begin his 12th NFL season with his hometown team.
Diggs spent last season with the New England Patriots and demonstrated that he could remain productive more than a decade into his NFL career.
He made 99 catches for 1,123 yards and five touchdowns across 21 games, including New England’s playoff run to the Super Bowl.
The Patriots released Diggs in March, allowing him to enter free agency.
Diggs remained unsigned for several months while facing strangulation and other criminal charges to a dispute with his former private chef.
He was found not guilty in May.
The NFL completed its own investigation and announced in June that Diggs would not face discipline.
The league said its review found insufficient evidence to punish him under the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
The Commanders entered the season with a significant need at wide receiver.
Without another established option, Washington would have relied more heavily on Treylon Burks and Luke McCaffrey.
That situation could have left Daniels with limited proven targets and allowed opposing defenses to use frequent double teams against top receiver Terry McLaurin.
Diggs gives the Commanders another experienced receiving threat who can draw defensive attention and create opportunities across the offense.
Adding Diggs could reduce the likelihood that Washington pursues San Francisco 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
Aiyuk is a friend of Daniels and said on social media in June that he would immediately join the Commanders if San Francisco released him.
He remains under contract with the 49ers and is on the reserve/left squad list.
Diggs enters an NFC East featuring several prominent wide receivers.
The Dallas Cowboys have CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, while the Philadelphia Eagles feature DeVonta Smith.
The New York Giants have Malik Nabers.
Washington’s addition of Diggs strengthens a division already filled with dangerous receiving options.
Before joining the Commanders, Diggs played for the Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans and New England Patriots.
Minnesota selected him in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL draft.
Across the regular season and playoffs, Diggs has made 1,025 catches for 12,523 yards and 79 touchdowns.
Diggs produced his best statistical season in 2020, his first year with Buffalo.
He earned All-Pro honors after leading the NFL with 127 receptions and 1,535 receiving yards.
Diggs went on to lead the Bills in receiving during each of his four seasons in Buffalo.
One of Diggs’ most famous plays came during Minnesota’s divisional-round playoff game against the New Orleans Saints in January 2018.
With 10 seconds remaining, Diggs caught a pass, avoided a tackle and scored a 61-yard touchdown.
The dramatic play gave Minnesota a 29-24 victory and became known as the “Minneapolis Miracle.”
Diggs’ career has also included disputes with teams and concerns about his conduct.
During his final season with Minnesota in 2019, the Vikings fined him more than $200,000 for unexcused absences from practice.
Minnesota traded him to Buffalo in March 2020.
Although he led the Bills in receiving for four consecutive seasons, his time there also featured sideline confrontations and cryptic social media messages.
Buffalo traded him to Houston in April 2024.
A torn ACL ended Diggs’ time with the Texans.
He later joined New England, where skipping a voluntary offseason workout contributed to a difficult start with the Patriots.
Diggs eventually became a reliable receiving option for quarterback Drake Maye and helped New England reach the Super Bowl.
New England released Diggs partly because he was due $20.6 million.
He will now team with Daniels, whom Washington selected second overall in the 2024 NFL draft.
New England chose Maye with the following pick at No. 3.
The Commanders are betting that Diggs can reproduce last season’s success while helping Daniels and Washington compete in the NFC East.
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