Stefon Diggs' Patriots jersey number freed up amid return hopes

If Stefon Diggs wanted to return to the New England Patriots, the No. 8 jersey would be free for him to wear again.

In a roster update on Monday, ESPN's Mike Reiss revealed that second-year wide receiver Kyle Williams has chosen to stick with the No. 18 over wearing Diggs' jersey number from last season, "upon further reflection."

The timing of that decision should get Patriots fans talking, with many hoping that the four-time Pro Bowl wideout returns to New England for the 2026 season. Diggs was released by the team at the start of the new league year in an unsurprising move. He was set to count $26.5 million against the salary cap this year, which would have made him the second-highest cap hit on the entire roster at 32 years old.

That wasn't a number the Patriots were willing to stick to on the deal, despite Diggs leading the team in receiving with 85 catches for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns.

With that said, Patriots executive vice president of player personnel has stated multiple times that he hasn't closed the door on a possible reunion with the star receiver. Diggs recently posed the question about his NFL future in a recent social media post.

"This is not an opinion-based sport, so here are the numbers," Diggs posted. "I played 52% of the snaps and finished with 85 catches for 1,045 yards coming off an ACL. Where we going?"

Patriots star cornerback Christian Gonzalez promptly responded, "To the pats."

Diggs replied to the comment with two wide-open eyes emojis.