When the Houston Texans swung a deal for Buffalo Bills two-time All-Pro receiver Stefon Diggs last April, there was a sense he’d only be around the club for a season.
After the Texans restructured his salary and voided the final three years of his current deal, it was clear the Texans were all-in with Diggs for only 2024.
Have those plans changed with Tank Dell’s season-ending injury? Perhaps, but Diggs’ market might not be so high after a torn ACL limited him to eight games.
Houston needs a stable No. 2 receiver next to Nico Collins for the 2025 season. Multiple players, including Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon and C.J. Stroud, hope that the four-time Pro Bowler will return to the lineup next fall on a one-year deal.
And a one-year deal seems to be the best option for Diggs since a resurgent 2025 season could earn him one more lucrative contract before retirement.
Pro Football Focus agrees, stating there’s a similar approach to free agency for the 31-year-old as another former All-Pro target coming off a torn ACL back in 2023.
“Diggs’ situation has shades of Odell Beckham Jr.’s free agency period in 2023, when he tore his ACL in the Super Bowl in 2021 and did not play in 2022 before signing a one-year, $15 million fully guaranteed contract,” Pro Football Focus wrote.
PFF believes Diggs should command about $16 million on the market. The Texans, who enter free agency with just over $10 million in cap space, should be able to match that deal after freeing up more cap after roster cuts and restructures.
There’s a sense that Diggs’ best season could be in Houston with Stroud. The duo were starting to build a rapport in the passing game leading up to Week 8 and were close off the field.
“I would love to have Stef back,” Stroud said Monday. “And man, I think we were just getting started. Like you see he was having so much fun and me and him.”
In eight games, Diggs’ 47 receptions were seventh among active receivers for the time. His 496 receiving yards ranked 10th while his four total touchdowns were 12th.
Unlike Beckham, Diggs proved last season he’s a sturdy No. 2 option for any team with a rising receiver. Given his four consecutive 100-plus catch seasons in Buffalo and six straight 1,000-yard campaigns, a team might be willing to spend over the market price to secure Diggs for the long haul.
Will the Texans be in play for that type of deal?
