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The New England Patriots are in a pickle with WR Stefon Diggs. New England signed Diggs to a three-year contract worth $69 million back in March. Now the team is apparently considering parting ways with Diggs after his viral boat party video.
Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk examined Stefon Diggs' contract in a recent article. He explored the idea of New England cutting Diggs after his recent boat incident.
Florio noted that “while the contract doesn't contain a clear answer, there are several provisions that could apply.”
One area that Florio explored was Diggs' $12 million signing bonus. According to Diggs' contract, he will only receive his signing bonus if he passes a full physical clearing him to practice and play. The decision is solely in the discretion of the team's doctor. So in theory, the Patriots could get that money back if Diggs fails his physical.
Florio also noted that the contract features a “Pre-Existing Condition” clause, which could wipe out another $10.6 million in guarantees. To do this, the Patriots would have to conclude that Diggs' knee injury from the 2024 season is still bothering him and causing him to fail his physical.
Finally, the contract also includes language around Diggs' conduct. This is essentially boilerplate language that promises Diggs “will not participate, and is not engaged and will not engage, in any conduct or activity that is illegal, unlawful or immoral.”
If the pink powder Diggs is seen distributing in the infamous boat video is proven to be an illegal street drug, the Patriots would have even more ammunition to go after Diggs. Of course, they would have to prove it, which would be incredibly difficult if not impossible.
Will the Patriots cut Stefon Diggs before the 2025 NFL season?
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It almost feels like an inevitability that New England will cut Diggs.
The Patriots hired Mike Vrabel as head coach at the beginning of the offseason. It seems unlikely that Vrabel would want to start his tenure in New England off with an off-field distraction that could last throughout the offseason.
Financially, New England should be able to part ways with Diggs even if he passes his physical. The Patriots still have $67.3 million in cap space this season, giving them plenty of space to take on some dead money. They are currently in the red in 2026, but could easily restructure some contracts to get cap compliant.
The Patriots also have impressive depth at wide receiver, which could embolden them to cut Diggs.
It will be interesting to see how this situation develops throughout the summer.
