The then-Washington Redskins had multiple opportunities to select former University of Maryland star Stefon Diggs in the 2015 NFL draft. As a matter of fact, every NFL team did, as Diggs somehow dropped to the fifth round — No. 146 overall.
After five standout seasons in Minnesota, Diggs wanted out. And the Vikings were happy to oblige, sending him to the Buffalo Bills for multiple picks, including a first-round pick that Minnesota used to select the NFL’s premier wide receiver, Justin Jefferson.
After four incredible seasons with Josh Allen and the Bills, the Gaithersburg, Maryland, native was traded to the Houston Texans last week. Diggs, 30, has six consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and just signed a four-year extension two years ago. The Bills took a massive cap hit to trade Diggs, meaning he had worn out his welcome in two places.
In trading him to the Texans, Houston re-did Diggs’ contract, allowing him to become a free agent next offseason. In the meantime, Diggs gets to play with another young star passer, C.J. Stroud. Another strong year and Diggs could hit the open market in 2025 and get even more than in the extension he last signed in Buffalo.
If Diggs plays well for the Texans, they’d presumably want to keep him around. However, Houston will need to save some of its cap space for several members of its young core.
Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports recently named five teams who could be Diggs’ suitors next offseason and the hometown Commanders were among those teams.
The Commanders are close to home for Diggs, playing in the wideout’s home state of Maryland. More than that, they’re likely to have a top young quarterback prospect after this year’s draft. And new coach Dan Quinn has shown no hesitation to pay big bucks to bolster his lineup with proven talent. Imagine the pairing with Terry McLaurin. Money probably wouldn’t be an issue, with Washington set to have more than $100 million in 2025 cap space.
The Commanders have plenty of money available to pay Diggs or any other top free agent. But this doesn’t seem like a move new general manager Adam Peters or head coach Dan Quinn would make. Washington will have a young quarterback on the roster and likely wouldn’t want to add someone to the team who could potentially disrupt the culture Peters and Quinn are trying to build.
The Commanders make a fun match on paper, and 2025 feels like a long time away, but don’t get your hopes up on this one. Washington has Terry McLaurin as its No. 1 wide receiver and Jahan Dotson as the No. 2. Look for the Commanders to add another young pass-catcher early in the 2024 NFL draft.