Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Ultimatum: Patriots Face Key Stefon Diggs Decision—Should He Stay or Go?

Starting point is 00:00:00 Stefan Diggs's future in New England is in doubt. But if it was up to us, as long as everything off the field checks out, we keep them. This is Locked on Patriots. You are Locked on Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast, part of the Locked-on Podcasts Network, your team every day. What's happening? I am your host, Nick Cattels, born and raised in New England, been covering the paths for the past 16 years. also the co-host of the Greg Bedard Patriots podcast with Nick Cattels and a sports radio veteran. Welcome to Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network.

Starting point is 00:00:41 Now the number one sports podcast network, your team every day. On today's show, in the third segment, Drake May got some awesome news regarding his 2026 over the weekend. In the second segment, we examine the future of Mack Hollins and why he might have a better shot of sticking around than you might think. first, speaking of sticking around, let's discuss the future of Stefan Diggs. Today's episode is brought to by Fandul. Use your profit boost on an NBA future and get entered for your chance to win a trip to the NBA finals. Play your game with Fandul, the official sports betting partner of the NBA.

Starting point is 00:01:20 Stefan Diggs's future is an unknown. There is easily a path where Stefan Diggs will not be a Patriot in 2026, but there is also way path where Stefan Diggs comes back. Now, before we get into the on-field situation, the salary situation, let me first say this, off the field. We're not talking about it, not on this episode. We've talked about Stefan Diggs, the allegations. We had plenty, plenty of time to talk about that. The legal situation, the off-field situation will handle itself. Needless to say, if Stefan Diggs is found guilty of anything, he's, is not on the radar. If there's any doubt, he's going to be gone. So that's first and foremost. Now

Starting point is 00:02:06 let's get to the football part of this. Let's get to the money part of this. Because Stefan Diggs is only guaranteed about $1.7 million in 2026. Now, I could just imagine, and I'm sure you could imagine the same, there's no way on God's Green Earth that Stefan Diggs is walking into camp in 2026 with a $1.7 million guarantee. It is simply not happening. Now, regarding the rest of his contract, Mark Daniels of Mass Live recently wrote, next year, Diggs has a $26.5 million cap hit. Imagine the Patriots don't want that.

Starting point is 00:02:45 The Pats can save $16.8 million by releasing Diggs. In 2027, he also has a $26.5 million cap hit. And if you don't want to take that cap hit in 26, you certainly don't want to take that cap hit in 27. The team could save $22.5 million by cutting him before you get to 2027. So you can save a bunch of money by just letting Stefan Diggs walk because of that very, very low guarantee. If I were the Patriots, I would lean towards keeping Diggs around. And again, this has nothing to do with the off-field situation.

Starting point is 00:03:27 purely, strictly, football talk, I would lean towards keeping Diggs as a patriot. I think the Patriots have the leverage in this situation. There are plenty of questions about Diggs's personality. What's going on? We saw this play out even during the Super Bowl. We found out about the Cardi B situation, and there are questions of how he handles himself at times

Starting point is 00:03:51 when he's not getting the football. We did see some of that in the playoffs, especially against the Seahawks, Patriot, we saw some of that, but I would put that more towards your typical wide receiver one, you know, kind of reaction to not getting the ball. But there are plenty of questions about Stefan Diggs and whether or not he's going to work out for other teams. Now, he's worked out for other teams before, but it's, it's been a very short period of

Starting point is 00:04:19 time for the most part that he has stayed around, been accepted, embraced his role, et cetera, et cetera. So there are personality questions. When you look at his market, are other teams going to be willing to pay Diggs what he wants, given some of those questions? Also, Stefan Diggs turns 33 years old in November. So we're about nine months away from his 33rd birthday. And there are not a lot of receivers at the age of 33, 34, who remain productive on the field. Now, I do think Diggs has that capability.

Starting point is 00:04:53 and we just saw what he was able to do coming back from an ACL in his 30s. I do think he's that rare guy that could still give you some production even at the age of 32, 33. But are other teams going to be willing to take on the personality questions because he has not been in their locker room to say to themselves, we think he's going to be productive enough to justify that type of decision. For the Patriots, I think it's a little bit easier because you just went through 2025 with him. And I think he does have a good relationship with Todd Downing. I think he has a good relationship with Mike Vrable. And if there is any coach in the NFL that I think can handle a Diggs, it is.

Starting point is 00:05:36 It is Mike Vrable and this coaching staff. So I think you have an advantage there comparing yourself to other teams. And if you're Stefan Diggs, do you really want to go to a fourth team in four years? I would just have to imagine that Diggs wouldn't mind staying in the same place towards the tail end of his football career. So I think the Patriots have the leverage. But not only that, that's not the only reason why I would lean towards keeping Diggs in the fold. A big reason why is because I do think that Stefan Diggs is the perfect savvy slot that can be your number two receiver. I talked about this last week.

Starting point is 00:06:14 Once the season was over, we started to take a look. at the future. We started to take a look at what 2026's roster will look like. And I feel like in the wide receiver room, everybody is one slot too high. So Diggs, who was the number one? I'd slide him back as the number two. Kishon Booty was your number two. I'd slide him back to three. At times,

Starting point is 00:06:35 Mack Hollins was your number two. I'd slide them back. We'll get to Hollins in a little bit. But I think Stefan Diggs is really a solid number two guy playing out of the slot. He's a great fit with the Josh McDaniels offense, which I think is critical. You never know how somebody is going to adapt to the system. And Stefan Diggs did a great job of doing so. His experience with Todd Downing helps.

Starting point is 00:07:00 His experience with Brian Dayball and Buffalo, who runs a very similar offense, absolutely helped. And I'm just trying to make Drake May better. I'm trying to make Drake May's life easier. And if you tell me that you upgrade at wide receiver one, and you stick with Diggs at wide receiver 2 out of the slot, I think that fits very nicely for May's future. And I want guys that May trusts.

Starting point is 00:07:26 I want guys that May has chemistry with, and there's no doubt that Diggs and may have chemistry. No matter how frustrated Diggs was during the playoffs at times, there's no doubt that chemistry is there. Think about how many important catches Diggs made this past season, third down, fourth down, fourth down. I mean, just critical catches in critical moments, have to have it moments, the hands, the touchdown against the Houston Texans in the playoffs. He is still capable of those big plays.

Starting point is 00:07:57 And he is somebody that your quarterback trusts enough to throw the football to him in those moments. Now, with all of this said, it has to make sense. I'm not bending over backwards to bring a 32 going on 33-year-old Stefan Diggs back into the mix. if I can restructure that contract, have a short-term agreement on reasonable money, then yes, I would bring him back. So those are the caveats. The off-the-field situation has to be cleared, and he has to come back on a contract

Starting point is 00:08:29 that is not only short in term, but also reasonable in money because I'm not going to handcuff myself long-term with digs. I'm just not going to do that. But if you could check off those boxes, clear stuff off the field, get a short-term agreement on reasonable money. If you go check, check, check, I'd bring him back and I'd say he is our number two. Maybe in a perfect world, he's your three, but let's not get too far.

Starting point is 00:08:56 But Diggs isn't the only veteran wide receiver that is up in the air. Let's discuss Mack Collins next. This is Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Finding a doctor you actually like and feel like discovering a diamond in the rough. sure you want someone who's in network nearby and has availability, but you also want a doctor who listens, makes you feel comfortable, and explains things clearly. The kind of doctor exists and finding them as easy with Zoc Doc. Zoc Doc is a free app and website that helps you find and book high quality in network doctors so you can find someone you love without all the hassle. We're talking about booking in network appointments with more than 150,000 providers across all 50 states, covering over 200 specialties from primary,

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Starting point is 00:11:33 Helps us with that algorithm. Don't forget to like. Don't forget to comment. I want your thoughts on Stefan Diggs. Are you in or out on a Diggs return in 2026? Of course, off the field stuff aside, as we said, very serious allegations. And if those are proven, then it's a no-brainer that he is not coming back.

Starting point is 00:11:50 But if the off-the-field stuff clears, would you be in on Stefan Diggs returning? Don't forget to like, don't forget to comment, and don't forget to subscribe. Matt Collins, let's talk about the next wide receiver here, the next vet wide receiver who could be gone, who could possibly be gone. Mac Collins was an awesome, short-term, cheap, free agent signing. And he exceeded my expectations. I did not expect Matt Collins to have the type of season that he had. It's not like he caught 80 footballs, but he caught 46 footballs, 550 yards, a couple of touchdowns.

Starting point is 00:12:27 That's a very good season. It's his second best season in the NFL, and I don't think it's a coincidence that his best seasons in the league have been with Josh McDaniels. His best season was in 2022 when he caught 57 passes. But he exceeded the expectations that I had for him. And when you look forward, when you start to look at this roster, you look at the salary cap, you start looking at some of these contracts, Hollins does not have a single penny guaranteed for 2026. The Patriots can cut him easy peasy.

Starting point is 00:13:00 His cap hit, his dead cap hit would only be $750,000 drop in the bucket. No big deal. Not for me, not for you, but for a professional football team, absolutely. So it's easy to cut the court if you are the Patriots and you don't want Hollins to return. But I would not necessarily rush to cut Mack Hollins. Now, if you get a big receiver with a big time catch radius who can be a downfield threat and you think that that player is an upgrade over Hollins, then yes, you let him walk. If you can upgrade, then you upgrade and you don't think twice.

Starting point is 00:13:44 But I don't necessarily think it's going to be super easy to replace what Mack Hollins brings to this team. And that's why if you don't find that upgrade, if you're not super duper, super, super confident that you have that upgrade over Hollins via free agency or the draft, if you don't feel that way, then I am more than fine with him returning in 2026. because he does fit a particular role. He's a different kind of guy. When you talk about on the field, his attributes, just his size,

Starting point is 00:14:18 he's a big dude. There aren't many, you know, six foot four, what, 225, 2.30 wide receivers out there. There's not a lot of those guys that are also good enough to stick around in the NFL for years. But he has that size. And you're going to have to. If you're going to move on from him,

Starting point is 00:14:36 you have to replace that size. Kyle Williams could end up being a really good player, but Kyle Williams ain't 6-4. Stefan Diggs ain't 6-4. Kishon Booty ain't 6-4. Pop Douglas is certainly not 6-4. Now, John Giles is a bigger guy from the practice squad, but are you really going to cut somebody like Mack Hollins

Starting point is 00:14:59 because of John Giles, who was on the practice squad all year long? I mean, Giles is 6-3, but you don't have another receiver on. your roster with that type of size that was good enough to be practicing for you every week. And I go back to the fit in McDaniel's offense. I don't think it's unusual that a guy who had a lot of success in Vegas with Josh McDaniels and that offense understands that offense through and through.

Starting point is 00:15:29 I don't think it's crazy to look at his stats this year and say, well, two best seasons with McDaniels. Maybe just maybe he is your prototypical big-bodied receiver for. Josh McDaniel's offense. And I don't take that fit lightly. We also know that Hollins can block in the run game. I thought Efton Chisholm did a really good job, all things considered.

Starting point is 00:15:51 When Hollins was out, I thought Chisholm did a good job in blocking in the run game. He wasn't great, but he was competitive. And he gave the effort. And he threw a few good blocks, which was nice to see. But again, Efton Chisholm is not 6'4. It's the combination of the size and the blocking and the experience in the Josh McDaniels offense. And let's also not understate this. Holland's had some big time catches for Drake May.

Starting point is 00:16:21 Go back to the Super Bowl. May's best moment were the back-to-back footballs that he threw to Mack Hollins, including the touchdown catch. So when you look at his impact on the quarterback, when you look at his impact in the run game, when you look at how he fits in this offense and his size, that's just different. That's why I'd be fine.

Starting point is 00:16:43 If you were not able to replace him with that skill set, I'd be fine with him coming back. Now, I also think if you're fine with him coming back, you also have to be ready for at least a slight regression because Hollins, much like Diggs, he ain't young. Holland is going to be 33 years old in September. So he's actually a couple of months older than Diggs. But the other part of Hollins, and we all saw this, right?

Starting point is 00:17:15 And we knew this when the Patriots signed him. This was like kind of the lead paragraph, but he's great for the culture. He really is. His energy is always high, just that high energy guy that players want to be teammates with. He can get other dudes going. He's tremendously, experienced. He's been around the game for a while. And the cool thing about Hollins, and we heard a lot of

Starting point is 00:17:39 stories during the season, especially with Efton Chisholm. The cool thing is, Mac Hollins understands his place in the game. He understands his place on the team. And he is more than willing to work with the younger receivers. And he did that for Chisholm. He did it pretty much right out of the gates for Chisholm. So I just think he's a really good dude to have around for your culture. Now, that's not the only reason you keep him around. And that's why if you can upgrade on the field over his ability, then I understand waving goodbye to him. But if you can't do that, I just think he's, you know, he's more of a fourth or fifth guy at this point, right, than a third guy in the wide receiver room. If you're talking about him being like your fifth or sixth receiver, it makes a lot of sense

Starting point is 00:18:26 because he is that sage veteran. And because nobody, say it again, nobody on this current roster, unless you go outside and you draft somebody, you sign somebody who has, you know, the strengths that he has, nobody on this current roster replicates those strengths. And in an off season where you're going to make a lot of changes, I think, and you're going to look to get younger at a lot of different positions, you might just look at Matt Collins and say, well, we're not going to depend on him to be like our third guy. Okay. We're not going to depend on him in 2026 as much as we depended on him in 2025.

Starting point is 00:19:06 But we do feel confident if we have to depend on him for one week or a couple of weeks. If we need somebody to make a pretty big play on a third down that can use his size effectively. We do have somebody on the roster, even though he is towards the tail end of that wide receiver room. He's somebody who can help in that room with the energy and the experience and the willing to work with the younger players. I think he's that perfect, like, fifth or six dude. He might even be inactive a week or two, but he's kind of that perfect guy. So I would not be rushing to cut Matt Collins, but I also understand you need upgrades on offense. And if you got to slide him off the roster and you feel like you found somebody who could replace it, then you do that.

Starting point is 00:19:51 Coming up, it was a great weekend for Drake May's 2026. This is Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team. every day. X season doesn't have to take over your life. This year, TurboTax is making it easier than ever to just hand things off and move on with your day. With TurboTax full service, you can have your taxes done for you by a trusted local expert. Start to finish without the stress or guesswork.

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Starting point is 00:21:02 today. The Patriots over the weekend got some really encouraging news. Ashton Grant, who was your quarterback's coach in 2025, apparently the Las Vegas Raiders were interested in having a conversation interviewing Ashton Grant for their offensive coordinator position. Now, I know Clint Kubiak is going to call the plays for the Raiders as their head coach, but I still think this is awesome for the Patriots, the fact that Ashton Grant was asked to interview with the Raiders,

Starting point is 00:21:34 but more importantly, Ashton Grant, according to Adam Schaeffer, said, thanks, but no thanks. I want to stay in New England. Excellent news. Excellent news. And you start with the quarterback. This is ideal for Drake May. We talked about hiring Josh McDaniels and what May has gone through in his football career.

Starting point is 00:21:56 The fact that this was his fourth new scheme in the last four years, if you go back to the two years in college at UNC, and then you jump to the first two years, the NFL, four different OCs, four different schemes, a bunch of different coaching staffs. Things can get messy. And so you keep Josh McDaniels, you bring them in, you got the continuity with the offensive coordinator. Obviously, McDaniels is going nowhere.

Starting point is 00:22:22 Now you have continuity with the quarterbacks coach. We haven't heard anything about Thomas Brown after the Arizona Cardinals kind of flirted with him for a little while, but then decided to hire Mike. LaFleur. We have heard nothing about Todd Downing. So you start to look at this. And with with Ashton Grant deciding, I want to stay in New England. I'm not going to take interviews. I want to stay right here. That's the continuity you want for your young quarterback. And now you're even more confident that you can build off the 2025, not the postseason part of it. Not the last two or three games we saw from Drake, but everything before that, build off that.

Starting point is 00:23:06 And Grant's experience with the West Coast offense, hands down, helped May quickly jump into the Josh McDaniels offense and being able to deal with that transition because Grant was able to work with May on helping him figure stuff out and understanding the language and what you're looking for. And Evan Lazar posted about that. Over the weekend, he posted, Drake May was always quick to praise Ashton Grant whenever the opportunity presented itself.

Starting point is 00:23:38 In particular, he credited Grant for helping him transition from West Coast verbiage to McDaniel's system because Grant had the experience. He knows Alex Van Pelt. He understands what Drake May was running as a quarterback in 2024. And so that transition from 24 to 25 was made easier with the conduit between May and McDaniels being Grant. And so if every offensive coach returns for the Patriots in 2026,

Starting point is 00:24:08 it is the perfect scenario for your quarterback. So that's number one. Number two, it's great news because this also speaks volumes about Grant's reputation throughout the league at 30 years old. And we read some stories during the season saying, a lot of people respect Grant, they think he's a really sharp guy and they believe that he's an up-and-comer

Starting point is 00:24:31 and that he can be a future play caller at the NFL level. And so when you're getting a call from Clint Kubiak, even though, again, Kubiak's going to call the plays for Vegas, but the fact that Kubiak is calling and you're on his radar, that means something, especially when you're only 30 years old.

Starting point is 00:24:51 And the more football brains in the room for the Patriots, the better. The more IQ, the better. You keep downing, you keep brown, you keep Grant, McDaniels returning, get all those brains, and they understand what they accomplished in 2025. They understand the strengths and the weaknesses. And now you put all of those brains in one room and you are better for it. Also kind of a little sneaky here. And I'm not telling you that Josh McDaniels is going to be gone after 2026, okay? However, I will say, If McDaniels leaves, if Josh McDaniels gets a college offer, or let's say, I don't think it's going to happen. I think it's very, very, very unlikely.

Starting point is 00:25:34 But let's say an NFL team comes calling for Josh McDaniels again. Well, you feel like you've got the in-house guy. You can easily move Ashton Grant to offensive coordinator. Maybe you can move, you know, maybe you move Thomas Brown to OC. But you have that, you have that young, bright mind in your building who could be an option for you if something on the upper tier of the offensive coaching staff changes. You have that option. This also speaks to the relationship between Grant and McDaniels.

Starting point is 00:26:09 And many wondered, could McDaniels work with the staff? Could he work with people that he doesn't really know? Could he get along with guys? And all those questions from his time in Denver and Vegas as the head coach. And they were all fair questions. would McDaniels be able to coexist with somebody who, you know, isn't from his background, isn't from, you know, the Patriots tree, so to speak. And, you know, I saw the 98-5 interview that Ashton, Josh McDaniels did with Zolak and Bertrand. And, you know, from what you see in that interview, now, of course, you could always put on a face and put on a relationship for the cameras and for the radio.

Starting point is 00:26:52 but it did feel like those guys do legitimately, genuinely get along. And so I do think this speaks volumes about the relationship between your quarterback's coach and your OC, which is important. I mean, even if you're not calling plays, offensive coordinator would have been a clear promotion for Ashton Grant. It would be the next step in his evolution as a coach. It would be the next step towards him becoming one day a head coach in the NFL. So for him to turn down the opportunity to have that conversation

Starting point is 00:27:22 with Clint Kubiak, it means a lot. And the fact that he wants to work in New England, which brings you to Mike Vrable, Vrable's ability to make the staff feel comfortable, Vrable's ability to understand how to connect with different coaches and understand the importance of family and making sure that coaches have time for their families. And it just feels like this coaching staff got along,

Starting point is 00:27:52 tremendously well. They all respect each other. Most of all, they respect Mike Frable in his vision. And they're very comfortable working for him, the sharing of ideas, the humility that a lot of these coaches, including Vrable, has shown, giving credit to other coaches, giving credit to the players. So a lot of good things out of this Ashton Grant news over the weekend. Great for Drake May. speaks a lot about Grant's reputation and his future, speaks a lot about the relationships that he has currently with the New England staff, and speaks a lot to how Mike Vrable runs his program and how the coaching staff gets along, the communication,

Starting point is 00:28:37 that communication throughout the staff, the trust throughout the staff. There weren't really any leaks about anything bad happening in that locker room this year, right? We hardly heard anything about coaches not getting along or not agreeing. I'm not telling you it's perfect. It's not utopia. But Mike Vrable clearly has the guys on the team and on the staff getting along, trusting each other and believing in each other.

Starting point is 00:29:04 At least that was the case in 2025. We hope it's the case in 2026 because it honestly feels like a complete collaboration. That wraps up this edition of Lockdown Patriots. Thank you for making us your first listen and for being an everydayer. Reach out to me on Twitter at Nick C. Radio. Don't forget to throw a comment in on the YouTube channel. Hit that like button and subscribe. And of course, if you're looking for a gift for someone, make it easy.

Starting point is 00:29:29 Check out the Everydayer Club. Add free episodes of this show, exclusive Discord, server access, and more. Subscriptions can be gifted through lockdownpatriots. Supercast.com. Have a great day and we will see you tomorrow.

Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Ultimatum: Patriots Face Key Stefon Diggs Decision—Should He Stay or Go?

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