Stefon Diggs, a high-profile free agent, has been cleared of legal issues that may have hindered his signing with an NFL team. With his exoneration, teams are expected to show interest in signing him soon.
Key points
Stefon Diggs is a high-profile NFL free agent.
He was recently found not guilty of serious charges.
His legal issues may have deterred teams from signing him.
His attorney believes teams will reach out to sign him soon.
Stefon DiggsNFL
More than a week clear of the 2026 NFL Draft, Stefon Diggs remains one of the league’s most high-profile free agents. However, with his legal issues seeming resolved – a jury in Dedham, Massachusetts, on May 5 found Diggs not guilty of strangulation and assault and battery charges stemming from allegations brought by his former live-in chef – a pathway for his ongoing employment in the league could soon materialize.
"I just think teams have been reluctant to sign him with these false charges hanging over his head," Mitchell Schuster, an attorney for Diggs, said Tuesday.
"Now that he’s been exonerated and his truth has been heard and his position – that this never occurred and he’s been falsely accused – he’s been vindicated. I believe that a team will reach out and sign him imminently. And they’ll be lucky to get him."
Stefon Diggs faced allegations of strangulation and assault and battery, but he was found not guilty by a jury.
Which NFL teams are interested in signing Stefon Diggs?
While specific teams are not mentioned, the article suggests that several NFL teams could be potential suitors now that Diggs is cleared of legal issues.
How has Stefon Diggs' legal situation affected his free agency?
His legal troubles made teams hesitant to sign him, but with his exoneration, it is expected that interest in him will increase.
When was Stefon Diggs found not guilty?
Stefon Diggs was found not guilty on May 5 by a jury in Dedham, Massachusetts.
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That said, even with his off-field issues clearing up, Diggs, a four-time Pro Bowler 58 catches shy of 1,000 for his career, will likely face a very different market for his services. Not only will he be 33 in November, but Diggs’ next team will also be his fourth in the past four seasons. An intelligent, engaging and productive player – he had 85 receptions for 1,013 yards and four TDs in 2025 for the AFC champion New England Patriots (despite missing more than half of the 2024 campaign with a torn ACL) – Diggs has also been known to wear out his welcome in previous stops.
He signed a three-year, $63.5 million deal with the Pats a year ago but was released in March by a team that immediately went out and signed Romeo Doubs, a far less accomplished receiver than Diggs, and is widely expected to trade for Philadelphia Eagles wideout A.J. Brown sometime after June 1, once Philly can more easily absorb the salary cap ramifications of such a transaction. Furthermore, most teams have already exhausted their free agent budgets, so Diggs may essentially be looking at a short-term, incentive-laden arrangement that could land him right back on the market in 2027.
Given such considerations, which teams might be the most logical destinations for his services in 2026? These six would seem to make a lot of sense:
After what seems like a one-and-done relationship with free agent Deebo Samuel, they have very little established wideout experience behind Terry McLaurin, who’s coming off his worst NFL season. Diggs, who hails from nearby Gaithersburg, Maryland, and attended the University of Maryland, would diversify and elevate this passing attack for third-year QB Jayden Daniels, whether or not 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk eventually lands here. And with nearly $50 million in available salary cap space, the Commanders could certainly afford to import Diggs better than most.
With more than $25 million in their cap coffers, a team that may be in win-now mode – at least as it applies to GM Chris Ballard, coach Shane Steichen and even (to some degree) QB Daniel Jones – might also consider taking a flier on Diggs. Alec Pierce may now be making No. 1 wide receiver money, but he has yet to prove he can fulfill the role on the field. And with Michael Pittman now in Pittsburgh, Diggs could be a more appealing complementary option than Josh Downs or Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 18: Stefon Diggs #8 of the New England Patriots celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown against the Houston Texans during the second quarter in the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Gillette Stadium on January 18, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 18: Stefon Diggs #8 of the New England Patriots celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown against the Houston Texans during the second quarter in the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Gillette Stadium on January 18, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
They’ve got a similar amount of cash in their free agent slush fund as the Colts – though the sooner LA extends Puka Nacua, the less he’ll cost the Rams in the long run. Yet for a team so roundly criticized for picking QB Ty Simpson in the first round of the draft, adding Diggs on a short-term contract could nicely bolster a team clearly in a Super Bowl window of opportunity while costing a lot less than, say, trading for Brown. Diggs, who typically splits time between the slot and lining up wide, could also reduce the load on fellow graybeard Davante Adams, who’s a year older than Diggs and limped down the stretch with hamstring issues in 2025.
He played well for them in 2024, after being acquired from the Buffalo Bills, before injuring his knee. And given the Texans’ lack of consistent wideout production beyond Nico Collins in 2025, adding Diggs to a roster that could be as good as any in the AFC next season makes some sense given his familiarity with QB C.J. Stroud specifically and the operation generally.
Another team squarely in the mix to emerge from the AFC as a Super Bowl 61 participant this season, they might have reached Super Bowl 60 had QB Bo Nix not injured his ankle before the AFC championship game. And while the Broncos already made the high-profile acquisition of WR Jaylen Waddle in a pre-draft trade with Miami, neither he nor Courtland Sutton typically works out of the slot. Diggs could be a low-cost, high-ceiling upgrade there for a team that might be one more move away from a Super Sunday return.
Why not ... other than a tight cap situation (K.C. only has about $6 million at present)? But a team that's cycled through vets like DeAndre Hopkins and Hollywood Brown in recent years could get a boost from Diggs − and at a time when QB Patrick Mahomes, who's recovering from a knee injury that prematurely ended his 2025 season, could really use another reliable vet as a safety blanket as he continues to regain his form.
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