Drake Maye Reacts to Stefon Diggs' Patriots Release in IG Photo Amid NFL Offseason

The New England Patriots released veteran wideout Stefon Diggs on Wednesday, a move that cleared significant salary cap space this offseason.

A day later, quarterback Drake Maye reacted to that decision:

Diggs, 32, had a solid 2025 season in his lone year with the Pats, catching 85 passes for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns. On a Patriots team that didn't have a ton of dynamic weapons on the outside, he proved to be an important addition.

But as ESPN's Mike Reiss, Jeremy Fowler and Jordan Reid noted, "Diggs' base salary was rising from $2.9 million in 2025 to $20.6 million in 2026, and his salary cap charge was increasing from $10.5 million to $26.5 million. Diggs would have been guaranteed an additional $6 million, on top of the $1.7 million he's still guaranteed to receive, had he been on the roster by the end of next week."

So there were practical reasons for making the move, though wideout is an even bigger need now than it already was. Maye continues to impress in his young career, but he needs more weapons.