Patriots Must Add WR After Rough Injury Update

When the New England Patriots signed Stefon Diggs to a three-year, $69 million contract in free agency, everyone knew there was considerable risk involved. That was why the Patriots only handed Diggs $26 million in guaranteed money.

After all, the star wide receiver tore his ACL midway through last season, and at 31 years old, no one really knows how Diggs will recover from the injury.

There was hope that the four-time Pro Bowler would be ready for Week 1, but now, it's looking like Diggs may miss quite a bit more time than that.

Chad Graff of The Athletic has revealed that the Diggs will likely begin the 2025 campaign on the PUP list, meaning he will miss the first four games of the regular season.

This is something that was always a possibility, and perhaps New England knew this all along. But it also begs the question: why are the Pats not being more aggressive in trying to add another receiver?

There are still some options on the free-agent market, such as veterans Keenan Allen and Amari Cooper, as well as 26-year-old Gabe Davis, with whom the Patriots are very familiar from his Buffalo Bills days. Not only that, but New England can absolutely explore trades.

While I am not personally crazy about the idea of the Pats pursuing soon-to-be-30-year-old Terry McLaurin, there should be other possibilities available. San Francisco 49ers breakout receiver Jauan Jennings may be up for grabs, for example, and perhaps Green Bay Packers wide out Romeo Doubs could be had.

The last thing the Patriots need is to start 2025 with Drake Maye not having any reliable weapons again. That would be catastrophic for his development, even if Diggs comes back in Week 5. New England needs to get Maye comfortable immediately, and if Diggs is going to be sidelined for an extended period of time, the Pats must add another pass-catcher to supplement him.