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Christian Gonzalez #0 of the New England Patriots celebrates after intercepting a pass from Jarrett Stidham #8 of the Denver Broncos (not pictured) intended for Marvin Mims Jr. #19 (not pictured) during the fourth quarter in the AFC Championship Playoff game at Empower Field At Mile High on January 25, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

The New England Patriots once again look like a top Super Bowl contender as the 2026 NFL season continues to draw closer.

Last season, the Patriots came up short in the big game against the Seattle Seahawks. This offseason, it was clear that New England wanted to make the necessary moves to take the final step.

Among the notable additions for the Patriots were wide receiver Romeo Doubs, pass rusher Dre’Mont Jones, offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker, safety Kevin Byard, and plenty of others as well including the 2026 NFL Draft class. On paper, the roster looks better now than it did at this time last season.

One notable departure this offseason was veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs. The team chose to release him due to financial reasons.

Is there a possibility that Diggs could return to New England for the 2026 season?

Patriots Star Clearly Recruiting Stefon Diggs Back

Christian Gonzalez, the Patriots’ star cornerback, clearly would like to see the team re-sign Diggs to complete the offseason puzzle.

Diggs recently made a post on his Instagram page. He made a sales pitch to NFL teams about what he brings to the field and openly asked where he should go in free agency.

“I played 52% of the snaps and finished with 85 catches for 1,045 yards coming off an ACL,” Diggs wrote. “Where we going?”

In the comments section, Gonzalez made his preference for Diggs very clear.

“To the Pats,” he wrote.

Stefon Diggs Would Be a Smart Move for New England

Last season with the Patriots, Diggs was highly productive. As he mentioned in his post, he caught 85 passes for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns. Those numbers would be ideal to bring back for rising superstar quarterback Drake Maye.

Keeping Diggs, while also adding Romeo Doubs in free agency, would give New England an even more dangerous offense than it had last season.

What would it take to sign Diggs? Spotrac has projected his market value to be somewhere around $13.8 million per season. The Patriots may not even have to pay quite that much to re-sign him for another year.

It will be interesting to see what the next chapter has in store for Diggs. New England may not end up having interest in making the move, but Gonzalez is clearly all about it.

The NFL offseason is winding down quickly. While the Patriots don’t “need” to make another move at the wide receiver position, bringing Diggs back should be at least a consideration.