Stefon Diggs is signing a one-year deal worth up to $12 million with the Washington Commanders, returning a veteran wide receiver to an offense that had been searching for reliable production opposite Terry McLaurin.
Diggs, 32, grew up in suburban Washington and played college football at the University of Maryland, and he had made his desire to play for the Commanders known before the deal materialized. He attended Maryland’s first fall practice on Wednesday and expressed enthusiasm about the combination of the university and the team.
The signing gives Washington a proven complement to McLaurin, who has produced five 1,000-yard seasons in recent years but missed seven games in 2025 with a quad injury that contributed to the team’s broader receiver struggles. Last season, McLaurin’s consecutive 1,000-yard streak was snapped, partly because of the injury and partly because depth behind him was thin enough that five players who were not on the roster at the start of the year ended up catching passes for Washington.
What Diggs brings to Washington
Diggs caught 85 passes for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns for the New England Patriots last season, surpassing 1,000 yards for the seventh time in eight years, with the lone exception occurring during a season in which he missed nine games with a torn ACL. He led the NFL among wide receivers last season in reception percentage, hauling in 82.5 percent of his targets, and ranked third in yards per route run.
He has been named to the Pro Bowl four times and was a first-team All-Pro in 2020 when he led the league with 127 receptions. At 32, he is no longer in the early phase of his career, but his production last season and his receiving efficiency numbers suggest he remains an effective starter.
The Patriots released him in March at the start of the 2026 league year. He spent his first five seasons with the Minnesota Vikings before being traded to the Buffalo Bills, where he played four seasons before a falling-out with the franchise. This signing with Washington marks his third team in three years.
Washington’s receiver situation
The Commanders had been paying attention to Brandon Aiyuk’s situation with the San Francisco 49ers earlier in the offseason and would have had interest if he had been available, but he was not released and became less of a focus for Washington as the offseason progressed.
The current receiver group beyond Diggs and McLaurin includes Antonio Williams, a third-round pick from this year’s draft whom team officials have spoken highly of, and Luke McCaffrey, a 2024 third-round pick with 29 career receptions. Jaylin Lane, a 2025 fourth-round pick, caught 16 passes last season and is also an effective punt returner. Veterans Treylon Burks, Van Jefferson and Dyami Brown round out the group, combining for 59 catches, 707 yards and three touchdowns last season.
Off-field matters
In May, Diggs was found not guilty of felony strangulation and assault and battery charges in a case involving his personal chef. The NFL investigated the matter and determined there was insufficient evidence to suspend him for a violation of the personal conduct policy.
Diggs is also a plaintiff in a civil defamation lawsuit against a man who made allegations against him involving drug use, sexual assault and other serious accusations. Diggs is pursuing the lawsuit to contest those accusations.
What it means for the Commanders
Washington has been building toward genuine offensive competitiveness under its current coaching staff, with Jayden Daniels at quarterback and McLaurin as the anchor of the receiver group. Adding a legitimate second target changes the calculus for defenses significantly. When a receiver of Diggs’s caliber can demand comparable attention to the opponent’s primary coverage, the space available to McLaurin and other options within the offense expands.
For Diggs, the signing represents both a homecoming and another opportunity to demonstrate that he remains a productive starting receiver. The combination of his local roots and his desire to play in Washington suggests he will be motivated by more than just the financial terms.
