The Patriots took some big swings at wide receiver earlier this offseason and came up empty. On Tuesday, they hit, coming to an agreement with free-agent wideout Stefon Diggs, per a league source.
The 31-year-old is coming off a torn ACL he suffered back in October, but Diggs was still able to pull in a deal that ESPN says will pay him $26 million guaranteed — a significant sum for someone that age and coming off that particular injury.
The dollar figure came as a surprise to some in the league, with one AFC executive saying it was “(more) than everyone thought” Diggs would get this offseason. But that amount speaks to how badly the Patriots wanted to add talent to their receiver room.
They’d made some splash signings on the defensive side of the ball — highlighted by defensive tackle Milton Williams — but the offense in New England had glaring holes to fill through the initial stages of free agency, particularly at receiver.
The Diggs deal doesn’t solve all of head coach Mike Vrabel’s roster-building issues. The former Vikings, Bills and Texans receiver is more of a No. 2 option at this stage, but because the Patriots don’t have a No. 1, he looks like their de facto top dog. And no matter who they have at receiver, they’re going to have to find answers at left guard and left tackle along their offensive line.
But their most recent addition, when healthy, certainly qualifies as help for second-year quarterback Drake Maye.
Here are three reasons why the Diggs signing is a wise one for the Patriots…
1. Easy upgrade for Drake Maye
The Patriots couldn’t coax Chris Godwin to New England despite offering him a much more lucrative deal than the one he got from the Buccaneers.
They took a run at DK Metcalf but never made the Seahawks a trade offer because they understood he wasn’t going to sign a long-term deal with them.
They were able to sign Mack Hollins in free agency as a veteran presence for their receiver room. But in…
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