A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs and Stefon Diggs? Would Patriots ever consider it?

How serious are the New England Patriots in 2026?

Or more succinctly, are they Stefon Diggs' level serious?

Diggs, about 21 months removed from a torn ACL and having dodged more than his share of off-field issues as he returned to the field in 2025 with New England, took to his own Youtube Channel in a 14-minute video called "Back in Motion."

Hungry to find a job

The video basically was an ad for Diggs, who remains a free agent after his post-Super Bowl release by the Patriots.

Diggs' signing with New England was a positive for all the parties involved.

Drake Maye got the bigtime target he needed to progress in Year 2.

The Patriots got a play-maker, who delivered 85 catches for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns.

And Diggs escaped the shadow of lead man Nico Collins in Houston and was paid handsomely for his year of service to the AFC champion Patriots -- $22.5 million.

A fan of the fans

In his fourth NFL city, Diggs found a home.

"I just love that fan base. That fan base stuck beside me," the receiver said in his video. "Loyal to the soil. ‘We all we got, we all we need.' That (stuff) went so far. (Stuff) like that is to be forgotten at this point. The impact is there. The impact on the people."

New England chose a different route, though, grabbing Romeo Doubs in free agency and A.J. Brown via trade.

But what if the Patriots really loaded up? There is room to maneuver under the salary cap, and while Diggs proved he was still up to the No. 1 role in 2025, he's also shown an ability to fit in wherever he slots.

Still confident in his game

"You can't name a number two better than me," Diggs said. "Name your number two receiver and tell how much he makes he makes. And my last question: ‘is he better than me?'"

Brown, Diggs and Doubs would be an immense upgrade for Maye.

But are the Patriots willing to roll the dice again? Diggs is serious, for sure, about where he stands after 11 NFL seasons.

"I've continuously shown who I am and who want to be. When are they going to believe me?," he said. "It's a (Hall of Fame Gold) jacket that I'm chasing … that (nobody) can take from me."

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This story was originally published July 14, 2026 at 12:56 PM.