Stefon Diggs has been in the news for everything except football lately. Instead of preparing for the upcoming NFL season, the wide receiver is entangled in a complex web of civil lawsuits, and his reputation has taken a major hit.
Without question, he’s one of the most talked-about players in the league, but it’s not always about his elite productivity on the gridiron. Will a career so filled with promise be thrown away because of repeated off-field incidents? Let’s look at the evidence.
Arrest For Assault and Strangulation
While playing for the New England Patriots, Diggs was arrested following a dispute at his home in Dedham, Massachusetts. He was charged with felony strangulation/suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery stemming from an altercation with his live-in personal chef.
Eventually, he was acquitted of one felony count of strangulation and one misdemeanor count of assault and battery. The NFL also closed its review of the case.
RELATED: Everything to Know About Stefon Diggs’ Messy Assault Trial
His Legal Battle With Christopher Blake Griffith
In May 2023, Christopher Blake Griffith, a sports and culture marketing executive and fashion stylist, accused Diggs of inviting him to his home in Rockville, Maryland, for assistance in designing and promoting Diggs’ burgeoning fashion label. Griffith alleges that Diggs gave him a piece of candy laced with an unknown drug and made unwanted, non-consensual sexual advances.
Following the accusations, Diggs vehemently denied the claims and filed a federal civil lawsuit against Griffith for defamation, TMZ first reported. He claimed that Griffith’s accusations were simply a “money grab” that “severely damaged his reputation and cost him lucrative brand endorsements.”
In response, Griffith countersued Diggs for sexual battery, battery, conspiracy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Despite the troubling allegations, Cardi B, with whom Diggs shares a child, has been defending him at all costs.
Following a heated X Space discussion about Stefon’s case, Cardi made it known that she was in full support of her youngest child’s father on Instagram.
Cardi wrote, “You are supposed to submit your entire phone STEFON TEAM ASK TO submit the messages, not the other way around.. It’s called discovery. He is not asking to get it dismissed. Where are you even getting that for the whole point of suing is to go to court and prove he was lying.”
He’s Currently a Free Agent
Heading into 2026 training camps, Stefon Diggs remains on the open market as an unrestricted free agent. Last season, he bounced back from a late-2024 ACL tear to pace the team with 85 catches for 1,013 yards—locking in his seventh career 1,000-yard season. He helped the Patriots make it to Super Bowl XL, where they were defeated by the Seattle Seahawks.
In March, he was released by the Patriots. Although his numbers show he’s still an elite playmaker, New England chose a roster reset over paying his steep $26.5 million salary.
He Believes He’s Still a Top WR in the NFL
Diggs may have lost a lot, but he’s never short on confidence. On his YouTube channel, he explained that he still has what it takes to be a top wide receiver in the NFL.
“My opinion, I can compete with anybody,” Diggs said. “But take those [top wide receivers] as your 1s, right? You can’t name a number two better than me.”
“There’s not a number two on a team — let’s presumably give people the credit and just say, ‘OK, you want to take the number one spot away,’” he continued. “Name your number two receiver right now, and tell me how much he makes, and then my last question is: Is he better than me?”
Where Does Stefon Diggs Go From Here?
What does the future hold for Stefon Diggs? Only time will tell. Ultimately, Diggs remains one of the NFL’s most compelling paradoxes. He’s a wide receiver with elite talent who is constantly involved in off-field problems. With 2026 training camps just a few weeks away, he finds himself on the outside looking in, sidelined not by a lack of ability but by the financial reality of his steep contract and the foreboding shadow of civil litigation. Whether a franchise will soon decide that his high-end production outweighs the drama remains the defining question of his career’s next chapter.
In the words of Cardi B, Stefon Diggs “is the drama.”
