Stefon Diggs career timeline and highlights

After a long offseason of looking for his next NFL home, Stefon Diggs is preparing to join his fifth team and fourth in four years.

Diggs is signing with the Washington Commanders , according to a person familiar with the agreement. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the deal had not yet been announced.

The 32-year-old four-time Pro Bowl wideout ordinarily would have been one of the most coveted wide receivers on the market during free agency following his release from the New England Patriots in March.

But a criminal court case that stemmed from an incident last December at his home in Massachusetts, in which a former personal chef accused him of slapping and choking her during an argument, left his playing future in limbo for months.

Diggs was found not guilty on May 5 of the felony strangulation charge and a misdemeanor assault and battery charge, clearing the way for him to seek a new team.

Of the 19 receivers selected before Diggs (fifth round, 146th overall) in 2015, only fourth-overall pick Amari Cooper and Tyler Lockett (third round, 69th overall) have earned Pro Bowl selections like Diggs. Diggs (2020) and Lockett (2015) are the only ones with All-Pro nods.

Here is a timeline of Diggs’ 11-year career and the biggest highlights thus far:

Diggs’ career started off on the transaction wire after he was dealt on the third day of the 2015 draft by the Atlanta Falcons to the Vikings.

He quickly emerged as a game-breaker for the Vikings and posted a pair of 1,000-yard receiving seasons in his final two years. It included what at the time was a career-high 102 receptions in 2018, followed by what was also a career-best 1,130 yards receiving in 2019, when he finished fourth in the league with an average of 17.9 yards per reception.

His Vikings tenure is most remembered, though, for what has become known as the “Minneapolis Miracle” during the 2018 NFC divisional round against the New Orleans Saints. With 10 seconds left, Diggs leapt and evaded an attempted tackle by Marcus Williams to run in a 61-yard touchdown pass from Case Keenum as time expired for a 29-24 win.

Diggs' time in Minnesota didn’t end well, though.

In his final season with the Vikings in 2019, he was fined more than $200,000 for unexcused absences from practices in October. He was also known for cryptic tweets that may have offered insight into his situation with the team. Prior to eventually being traded to Buffalo that offseason, Diggs tweeted “it’s time for a new beginning” — and hours later he was a member of the Bills for four draft picks.

Diggs quickly became Josh Allen’s go-to target in Buffalo. He had a career-best 127 receptions for 1,535 yards in 2020. It was the first of four straight seasons with 100-plus catches and 1,000-plus yards.

Accomplished as Diggs was in leading Buffalo in receiving in each of his four seasons, much like in Minnesota his sideline outbursts and cryptic messages posted on social media again became an issue.

Though voted a two-time captain, Diggs was unable to contain his frustrations. The most notable moment came following a 27-10 loss to Cincinnati in the divisional round of the playoffs in the 2022 season, when Diggs left the Bills locker room before coach Sean McDermott had a chance to address the team.

Though Diggs was coaxed back by teammate Duke Johnson, the receiver’s frustrations carried into the offseason. He raised further questions about his status by not attending the team’s offseason voluntary workout programs.

The Bills traded him in April 2024 to Houston.

Diggs arrived in Houston with designs on chasing a championship, joining a young roster led by a hungry coach in DeMeco Ryans and featuring a breakout second-year quarterback in C.J. Stroud. But Diggs' season, which started with him catching 47 passes for 496 yards and three touchdowns, came to an abrupt end after he tore the ACL in his right knee after just eight games.

He had surgery soon after and hit free agency after the season.

Despite being in the midst of rehabbing his knee, Diggs didn't stay on the open market long, signing a three-year deal with the New England Patriots in March 2025.

His tenure got off to a bumpy start when he skipped a voluntary team workout and was shown in a video on social media talking to three women on a boat before he produced a bag of pink crystals. It’s not clear what the pink substance was.

He was back on the field the following week and was in uniform for Week 1.

Diggs thrived in Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels' system, leading the team with 85 receptions and 1,013 yards receiving with four touchdowns in what turned out to be his lone season in New England and helping the Patriots reach the Super Bowl , where they lost to the Seattle Seahawks.

Diggs became the go-to option for Drake Maye, who finished runner-up to Matthew Stafford for the AP NFL MVP award. Diggs’ 1,000-yard season marked the seventh of his career.

But the team ultimately made the decision to release him in March. While the pending legal case may have played a part in it, there were also financial variables at play. The $69 million deal Diggs signed in March 2025 was due to pay him $20.6 million for the 2026 season.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL