New England Patriots
The Patriots could pivot to other WR targets like Alec Pierce or A.J. Brown moving forward.
Two days after the Patriots’ 2025 season ended with a loss in Super Bowl LX, Mike Vrabel offered up an ominous musing about the state of New England’s roster.
“We’re looking for the better, younger, cheaper player every day, and the players that we have are trying to not let that happen,” Vrabel said. “And that’s the dynamic, and that’s the business of the National Football League.”
Sure enough, New England is rolling the dice when it comes to its offensive personnel for 2026.
The Patriots are reportedly releasing veteran receiver Stefon Diggs next week, freeing up nearly $17 million in cap space as a result.
New England needs all of the fiscal flexibility it can get this offseason, given the number of deficiencies across the Patriots’ depth chart.
But, the Patriots are now in desperate need of a new WR1 to pair with Drake Maye, both in 2026 and in the coming years.
As explosive as New England’s offense was in 2025 with Maye at the helm, the Patriots are inviting plenty of risk if they opt to run it back with Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, and Kyle Williams as their top pass-catchers.
Here’s a quick look at New England’s options when it comes to upgrading Maye’s arsenal following Diggs’ exit.
As far as pure asset management, the best path for New England moving forward is to replace Diggs’ production with a younger, better receiver out on the free-agent market.
By signing a talented pass-catcher, New England could properly utilize the cap space freed up by cutting Diggs without needing to give up valuable draft capital as part of a trade.
With $16.8 million freed up by moving on from Diggs, New England is currently expected to have more than $56 million in cap space this offseason, per OverTheCap. They could open up even more spending power by restructuring other contracts or cutting more players before the league calendar flips to 2026.
Unfortunately for New England, this crop of free-agent wideouts may not exactly move the needle. Options like Romeo Doubs, Wan’Dale Robinson, and Jauan Jennings have questions over durability — and over their standing as true No. 1 wideouts in a new offensive system.
But, there is one top target who New England could turn to: Colts WR Alec Pierce.
The Colts’ decision to not apply a franchise tag on Pierce was a bit of a head-scratcher. The 25-year-old wideout is now set to hit the open market next week.
Pierce could command a contract with an annual payout of $25-30 million, near the price range Diggs was set to count against the cap in 2026 ($26.8 million).
But, Pierce offers a higher upside than Diggs when it comes to his age (seven years younger) and his profile as an explosive, big-play receiver.
Pierce would seemingly fit in seamlessly on a dynamic Patriots offense that led all NFL teams during regular-season action in explosive-play rate (8.1 percent).
He has led the NFL in yards per catch during both the 2024 (22.3) and 2025 (21.3) seasons with Indy — closing out last year with 47 catches for 1,003 yards and six touchdowns.
After reeling in deep balls from Colts QBs like Daniel Jones, Anthony Richardson, Joe Flacco, and Philip Rivers, Pierce could take another major step forward as a featured player on a team led by Maye.
Trade for a WR1
If Pierce is too pricey or opts to re-up in Indy, New England could pivot to the trade market.
As painful as it might be for New England to give up valuable draft picks to bring in a dynamic wideout, there are several appealing options that the Patriots could hone in on rather than put all of their eggs in one basket with a free agent like Pierce.
Eagles star A.J. Brown still makes plenty of sense for New England. Beyond Brown’s standing as an elite pass-catcher (six 1,000-yard seasons), he has plenty of ties to Vrabel, having played for New England’s head coach during their time together with the Titans.
“We reach out and text each other during the good things that happen to each other,” Vrabel said of Brown at the NFL Scouting Combine. “Sometimes things don’t go so well for the people that you’re close with, and you text for those as well. It’s a two-way street of support and reminders of what got us to where we are here today.”
Brown, 28, could be a versatile and dynamic weapon in New England. But, the Eagles — who would have to eat a $43.4 million dead-cap charge if they deal Brown before June 1 — are reportedly asking for a steep price for their WR1.
“In their minds, it’s a Quinnen Williams-type deal,” NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo said of Philly’s asking price. “We’re talking a potential first-round pick with a second-round sweetener on it. That’s kind of where it is for the Eagles to start to consider moving A.J. Brown.”
New England could wait until after June 1 to see if the Eagles lower their asking price, when that dead-cap charge can be broken up over multiple years.
But, waiting until that stage of the NFL calendar to try and add a WR1 involves some risk for New England and severely limits their leverage in negotiations with the Eagles.
The Patriots could also try and make a push for Jaguars young wideout Brian Thomas Jr., whose stock dipped in Jacksonville after a lackluster second season in the NFL ranks. Still, Thomas is a year removed from posting 87 catches for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns as a rookie in 2024.
Chicago Bears WR DJ Moore could also be an option, with CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones deeming the Patriots a potential “landing spot” for Moore. The 28-year-old Moore is coming off a 2025 season where he caught 50 balls for 682 yards and five touchdowns, but has four 1,000-yard seasons on his ledger.
Draft a Diggs replacement
New England hasn’t exactly had the best luck when it comes to adding elite talent at wide receiver via the draft.
But, New England might not have the spending power to target a WR like Pierce or Brown if it chooses to shore up other areas of the depth chart — including the offensive line, edge rushers, safety, and tight end.
With the 31st overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, New England might hone in on an affordable, blue-chip talent in hopes of replicating some of Diggs’ production.
Texas A&M’s KC Concepcion is an explosive athlete with strong yards-after-catch numbers during his time with the Aggies. He could be a viable Diggs replacement when it comes to moving the chains on crossers and lining up in the slot.
A big-bodied WR like 6-foot-4 Denzel Boston out of the University of Washington could also be a potential pivot if New England can’t land a proven boundary receiver like Pierce.
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