Diggs is joining the Patriots off a season-ending ACL injury.
Free agent wide receiver Stefon Diggs signing a reported three-year contract with the New England Patriots is coming less than five months after he had suffered a torn ACL. Despite the injury, the team was comfortable giving the 31-year-old a deal worth up to $69 million with $28 million in guarantees.
Those numbers are an indication that his outlook is a positive one, and a new report by ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirms this: Diggs is believed to be “on track” to return by the start of the regular season.
A former member of the Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills, Diggs was traded to the Houston Texans last offseason. He ended up catching 47 passes for 496 yards and 3 touchdowns in his first eight games with the club, but hurt his knee in an October 27 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts.
The non-contact injury was later diagnosed as an ACL tear in his right knee, forcing him to undergo season-ending surgery. His recovery process impacted his first ever trip to free agency as well, with his visit to the Patriots last week the first time a team expressed concrete interest in his services.
That visit reportedly went well, including the physical he underwent as part of it. Five days later, an agreement on a deal was reached.
And if the report about his timeline turns out accurate, he will be back on the field no later than five months after the signing.