Stefon Diggs Signs One-Year, $12M Deal With Commanders After NFL Clears Him in Chef Assault Case

Stefon Diggs is heading to his fifth team in 12 NFL seasons. The Washington Commanders are signing the veteran wide receiver to a one-year deal worth up to $12 million, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirming the contract terms. The move gives quarterback Jayden Daniels a proven, experienced target just weeks before the regular season and comes after Diggs spent months as a free agent while the NFL reviewed a personal conduct case that has since been closed.

Diggs, 32, spent the 2025 season with the New England Patriots, catching 85 passes for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns in 17 games while helping the Patriots reach the Super Bowl. Over an 11-year career that began with the Minnesota Vikings in 2015, he’s played for the Vikings, Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans and Patriots, piling up more than 10,000 receiving yards and four Pro Bowl selections along the way. Washington will be stop number five.

Why Washington Made the Move

Diggs had publicly expressed interest in playing for Washington, and the fit is easy to see. The Commanders’ receiver room behind Terry McLaurin has been thin on proven separators, with Antonio Williams, Luke McCaffrey and Dyami Brown rounding out the depth chart. Adding a route technician of Diggs’ caliber opposite McLaurin gives Daniels a second legitimate target defenses have to respect, something that could matter plenty for a team looking to build on last season’s playoff run. Fans tracking Washington’s outlook can check the latest Super Bowl odds as the roster continues to take shape heading into camp.

The signing also closes the book on an unusual offseason for Diggs. He was released by New England in March and went unsigned for months while facing a felony strangulation charge and a misdemeanor assault charge stemming from a December dispute with his former private chef. Diggs was found not guilty on both counts in May, and the NFL announced in June that it was closing its personal conduct review after determining there was insufficient evidence to support a violation. That clearance removed any lingering suspension risk and cleared the way for a team to sign him without discipline hanging over the deal.

Health, History and What’s Left in the Tank

Durability is the real question mark. Diggs tore his ACL in October 2024 during his lone season in Houston, an injury that ended his year after just eight games. He returned for New England in 2025 and looked the part of a possession receiver again, catching 83.3 percent of his targets and ranking among the league’s most efficient pass-catchers on a per-route basis, even if his role skewed toward shorter routes and he found the end zone only four times. Before the injury, Diggs was a four-time 1,000-yard receiver in Buffalo, topping out at 1,535 yards and 127 catches in 2020.

For Washington, the calculus is straightforward: a one-year, incentive-laden deal carries little long-term risk, and if Diggs can replicate anything close to his 2025 efficiency, the Commanders get a savvy veteran presence to pair with McLaurin and take pressure off a young quarterback in Daniels who’s already shown he can elevate the players around him. Bettors weighing Washington’s win total or Daniels’ passing props this season may want to brush up on the basics first with a NFL betting guide before the market adjusts to the news.

What Comes Next

Diggs is expected to formally sign and join Washington’s practice fold in the coming days, giving him a short runway to build chemistry with Daniels before the preseason winds down. The Commanders have made clear they view him as a complementary piece rather than the focal point of the passing game, with McLaurin remaining the clear WR1. Still, adding a receiver with Diggs’ résumé — even at 32 and coming off a serious knee injury — signals Washington’s intent to push for another deep playoff run after last season’s breakthrough behind Daniels.