Why AFC South Could Make Sense for This Former Texans Wideout

The A-Team’s Adam Clanton and Adam Wexler discuss the New England Patriots’ decision to move on from wide receiver Stefon Diggs, and weigh the chances he could land back in the AFC South with either the Tennessee Titans or the Indianapolis Colts. Listen to the audio for the full breakdown.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Yeah, the Patriots told Stevon Diggs they're going to release
him as the league year begins. They had a trigger
in his contract that essentially forced them to make a
decision on this early. It was all by design, and
the decision they've made is to move on from him.
So he'll be available in free agency, just as he
was a season ago when the Texans had him under
a one year deal and elected not to do anything

(00:22):
about that after they converted it to a one year deal.
So in free agency last year he got a reported
three year, sixty three plus million dollar deal with the
Patriots turns into a one year deal with the neighborhood
of twenty three to twenty five million dollars of money earned,
guaranteed money, and now he hits free agency again. Productive
last year, better than a thousand yards fewer yards per game,

(00:42):
and he's been trending in that direction each of the
last three years with three different teams. Next year will
be his fourth different team. He's very much an underneath receiver,
very much trusted by his quarterbacks here and in New
England obviously, and in Minnesota and in Buffalo everywhere he's
been for as much as all the other outside noise
from in the building and his own personal outside noise

(01:05):
from outside the building. That is pretty much always held true.
He's guy you can count on two. You know you
need eight yards, He'll get you nine. You need it,
you need to get a drive started, He'll do it.
He unfortunately had, I mean, his best play of the postseason,
he only had ten catches in four games, came against
Houston when he caught the ball well defended by Jalen
Reid just has had the strong hands that have been

(01:26):
a mark of his career and was able to hang
on with that touchdown pass, one of the three that
Drake may threw, one of the three the Texans gave up.
It's hard to pinpoint this, Like I'm having trouble pinpointing
where Mike Evans is going. It was already reported or
at least written about. Jonathan Jones over at CBS Sports
wrote that he does not believe the Chiefs nor the
Texans are involved currently with Mike Evans, And in kind

(01:50):
of looking at what Mike Evans is after, and I
would certainly rate him as a more If I'm out
looking for a wide receiver, I presumably am looking more
for a Mike Evans than for a a Stefan Diggs.
I don't really think they play the same position, even
though it says WR before their respective names. He's your
numbers three Stefan Diggs. Next year he's your number two.

(02:11):
He certainly plays in the slot a lot. I'm not
sure what team is out there saying we gotta go
get this. But if you look back at last year,
why did the Patriots say that? And I think they
set it for all the right reasons. He's a veteran,
we have a young quarterback. We need someone to lead
this group. And remember here in Houston, we know something
about Stefan Diggs as a football player. He's good to

(02:33):
have in the locker room. He's helpful to have work
with your receivers and your defensive backs. He's just flat
out somebody you want on your team. And the Patriots
felt the same way, and the exact same thing played out.
He was good to have on their team, and then
he was also additionally healthy and very productive. Is there
a young team out there, a young quarterback, young offense,

(02:54):
developing offense with some young talent that he fits in
with where I mean? I don't think any team thinks
he's gonna have back to back years where he's the
number one target, number one receiving yards leader for his
football team. He was that last year. I don't think
that's what a team would envision again next year.

Speaker 2 (03:12):
I'm trying to think of a team where it would
make sense from a production standpoint. In other words, he's
gonna get his touches that he wants, he will get
the money that he wants, but it also makes sense
for both parties from a you know, competition standpoint.

Speaker 1 (03:28):
Well, the other part of it is quite obviously he's
going bad team's not gonna sign him. Good team's gonna
sign him. He's gonna play for a good team. He's
gonna play for a playoff caliber team.

Speaker 2 (03:38):
What about the Titans?

Speaker 1 (03:39):
Why would he play for the I mean, he wants
money like anybody else, and it's not individual. I'm not
saying this about Stefan. I'm saying it about players who
put the pads on and wear a helmet every Sunday.
They want money. I get it. I just don't imagine
that's they would have to have such an unbelievable offering.
And if you're Tennessee, I know what you're pointing out
young quarterback, developing team, but they're I mean, the Patriots
were them Like last year. You could make that argument.

(04:01):
Patriots were awful with Drake May starting in year one.
The Titans were awful with their cam Ward starting in
year one. I don't think we're going to see a repeat.
They're also it's kind of funny that they're linked in
this way. Now one of them moved on from Mike Rabel,
and then the other one got Mike Rabel, and then
the team to move on from Mike Rabel is already

(04:23):
looking for another head coach because the guy they replaced
Rabel with has already been fired and they've had an
interim coach because the firing was it was so bad
they fired him in season. I don't really think they're
on that same path. No, but I get that theory.
But again, I'll go back to Diggs for all this
movement that he's now made his last year in Buffalo

(04:44):
that was a Super Bowl contender. He came to Houston,
Y because they were a Super Bowl contender. Signing with
New England suggests what you're saying isn't crazy. No way,
he thought they were a Super Bowl contender. He actually
played in the Super Bowl with them, but he didn't
sign there thinking I got a chance to play in
the super Bowl this year. Maybe he thought if he

(05:04):
played there for three years, which I doubt he thought
even with a three year deal, So maybe that does
open it up for a little more. My personal thought
is that's not what he's looking for now. He does
want as much money as he can get, and maybe
it is a lesser team with more space and more ability,
and the Titans have a lot of that. They have
a lot of money to spend.

Speaker 2 (05:22):
If it's not the Titans, though, I'm trying to think of, well.

Speaker 1 (05:24):
We know there's another team in this division that's probably
not gonna have Alec Pierce because he's about to start
negotiating with other teams. They actually without tagging him in
any way. The Colts can still negotiate with him up
until negotiate exclusively up until the ninth. But I don't
think Alec Pierce and his agents they have already been negotiating.
He can talk to us more, but we're going to

(05:45):
free agency now.

Speaker 2 (05:46):
He's probably got three teams lined up.

Speaker 1 (05:48):
Yeah, I think they knew he was pricing them out
and that's what's gonna happen. So who is Daniel Jones
throwing to. Obviously, they still have some of the other
veterans they kept when they when they drafted ad Mitchell
just a couple of years ago and already shipped him
out in trade. I think they feel comfortable enough with
their group because Pierce was only fourth in targets last
year to begin with, which is nuts. But I would

(06:12):
believe Steph is playing for a team that probably is
a little bit better on paper already than Tennessee.