Commanders adding WR Stefon Diggs on 1-year, $12M deal: Source

In need of receiver depth and another proven playmaker, the Washington Commanders agreed to a one-year, $12 million deal with veteran wideout Stefon Diggs, according to a league source who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

The move gives Washington another versatile and experienced receiver to complement Terry McLaurin, a role the team has tried (unsuccessfully) to fill for years. It also brings Diggs back to the DMV.

The Commanders’ lack of a so-called No. 2 wideout was especially costly last season, when their receiving corps was decimated by injuries, leaving Deebo Samuel to carry the load for much of the season. Although Washington addressed most of its glaring roster needs this offseason, it began training camp with a clear need for another experienced playmaker.

Disgruntled 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk was a consideration earlier in the offseason, when San Francisco general manager John Lynch indicated the team planned to move on from him after he was placed on the reserve/left squad list near the end of the 2025 season. But he remains under contract with the 49ers, and after he spent much of the offseason criticizing his team, GM, former agent and, at one point, Jayden Daniels, his former college quarterback and friend, Aiyuk’s chances of eventually making it to Washington diminished.

That left Samuel and Diggs as the top remaining (and fully healthy) free-agent receivers. The Commanders left open the possibility of bringing back Samuel after his lone season with the team, but didn’t eagerly pursue him, believing his skill set didn’t fit what they were looking for in David Blough’s system, according to two sources with knowledge of Washington’s approach. Samuel then signed a one-year deal to return to the 49ers after they placed Ricky Pearsall on season-ending injured reserve.

For Diggs, the question was whether he would accept a deal that fit the Commanders’ longer-term vision. Over the past two years, Washington’s additions at receiver have been mid-round draft picks or free agents on one-year deals for the veteran’s minimum.

Football wise, he was a clear fit.

Although the 32-year-old Diggs is in the latter stage of his career, he proved he can still be a prolific and valuable addition last season when he led the New England Patriots with 85 catches and 1,013 receiving yards after tearing his ACL the season prior, with the Houston Texans. Diggs has topped 1,000 yards in seven of his 11 career seasons in the NFL.

The four-time Pro Bowler was born in Gaithersburg, Md., and became one of the nation’s top high school recruits at Good Counsel High in Olney before starring at the University of Maryland.

He was drafted in the fifth round by the Vikings in 2015 and spent his first five seasons in Minnesota before heading to Buffalo and quickly becoming the primary target for Bills quarterback Josh Allen, leading the league in catches (127) and receiving yards (1,535) in 2020 to earn first-team All-Pro honors and his first career Pro Bowl selection.

Diggs was traded to Houston in 2024, but suffered an ACL injury eight games into the season. He underwent surgery and was back on the field at full speed only nine months later with the Patriots.

But after signing a three-year, $63.5 million contract with the Patriots in 2025, he was released after only one season largely because of his contract. His salary-cap charge was set to rise from $10.5 million in 2025 to $26.5 million in 2026. He was No. 59 on The Athletic’s list of the Top 150 free agents of 2026 and was the 10th-ranked wide receiver.

Diggs was also facing charges of felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery charges stemming from an alleged dispute with his former live-in chef in December. Diggs, who denied the allegations, was acquitted of all charges after a two-day trial in a Massachusetts district court in May. The NFL later determined there was insufficient evidence of a violation of its personal conduct policy, ensuring he wouldn’t face a fine or future suspension related to the allegations.

Diggs is also a party to two other civil lawsuits that are pending.

In November, Diggs sued Christopher Blake Griffith for defamation after Griffith publicly alleged that Diggs drugged and sexually assaulted him in 2023. Griffith quickly filed a countersuit, claiming Diggs sexually assaulted him and that Diggs’ brother Darez, among others, later attacked him. Stefon and Darez have denied all allegations. Griffith settled his case with Darez Diggs, but his legal fight with Stefon Diggs is ongoing.

In February, a man who says he was a “concierge and consultant” to Diggs sued the receiver for defamation and for acting in concert with his brothers and friends to intimidate and assault him. In a complaint filed in Miami circuit court, Nigel King alleged Diggs falsely accused him of stealing Diggs’ Ferrari in 2024, then later had his friends attack King. Diggs has denied those allegations as well.

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