The Denver Broncos’ quest to build out their roster has not ended, but one of the moves they did not make has come back to light. According to a new report, the Broncos had designs on signing veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs this past offseason.
Diggs ultimately signed with the New England Patriots, who were playing the New York Jets on “Thursday Night Football” when the news dropped.
A lot of time has passed since then, but it paints a clear picture of the Broncos’ plans.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport joined the pregame show before the Patriots’ game and detailed what went into New England signing Diggs, including beating out the Broncos for the four-time Pro Bowler and 2020 First Team All-Pro’s services.
Diggs, the No. 146 overall pick of the 2015 draft who has earned over $140 million in his career, signed a three-year, $63.5 million contract with the Patriots.
However, fate may have brought Diggs to New England and Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.
“Signing Stefon Diggs was the end of a decades-long quest for Mike Vrabel,” Rapoport reported on “TNF Tonight” on November 13. “Vrabel recruited Diggs out of high school, when he was an assistant at Ohio State. Didn’t get him, was mad about it. When Diggs became available this spring, his agent sent video to the Patriots, just three months after the ACL tear. He was running, cutting. Good sign. Ahead of schedule. It came down to the Broncos or Patriots. Five months from passing a physical, the Patriots signed up. A big-time leap of faith.”
Sentimentality and outcome aside, the Broncos had financial reasons to avoid making the kind of investment into Diggs that the Patriots did. It largely has to do with their financial outlook and how the Patriots structured Diggs’ deal.
Diggs entered Thursday’s contest with 50 receptions for 554 yards and 3 touchdowns, which would have ranked first, second, and third, respectively, on the Broncos.
He finished the contest, a 27-14 Patriots win, with a 9-105-0 line.
Diggs, 31, has an $8.7 million cap hit this season, which the Broncos – who Over The Cap says have $4.6 million in space – could have worked to make room for. However, his cap hit jumps to $26.5 million in 2026 and 2027.
Again, the Broncos could have squeezed those dollar amounts in with projections of $47.6 million in space in 2026 and $68.6 million in 2027.
However, they signed Courtland Sutton to a four-year, $92 million extension this past summer.
That is a lot of capital to invest into the wide receiver position, even with Bo Nix on a cost-controlled rookie-scale contract. Instead, the Broncos will pay a combined $38 million for the trio of Evan Engram at tight end and defensive players Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga.
Diggs has missed more than two games in a single season three times in his career, and just once (2024) since the 2016 season.
The Broncos have leaned on their young receivers, Marvin Mims, Pat Bryant, and Troy Franklin.
They were also linked to wide receivers before the trade deadline, which could underscore the veracity of Rapoport’s report.
The storm surrounding the New York Yankees’ offseason just got louder. Following reports that owner Hal Steinbrenner has ordered the front office to slash payroll below $300 million for 2026, a former Yankees manager has spoken out — and his words have struck deep within the Bronx faithful.
“The Yankees I knew were built on pride, not profit,” he said firmly. “They’re trying to build a money machine instead of a team that represents what the Yankees spirit used to be.”
His comments come as the organization faces growing backlash for tightening budgets despite generating over $728 million in revenue last year, the second-highest in Major League Baseball. Fans have accused Steinbrenner of prioritizing financial efficiency over championships, especially after the team’s early playoff exit to the Blue Jays reignited the frustration of a 16-year title drought.
“When you walk into that clubhouse, you should feel history — Mantle, Jeter, Rivera, all those names meant something,” he continued. “Now, you walk in and it feels like a spreadsheet. It’s sad to say, but that fire — that edge — it’s fading.”
While he stopped short of naming Steinbrenner directly, his message was unmistakable: the Yankees have lost touch with the bold, win-at-all-costs identity once personified by Hal’s father, George Steinbrenner.
Several former players and local columnists have echoed the sentiment, suggesting that Hal’s cost-cutting mandate risks undermining morale inside the organization and alienating a fan base already weary of corporate decision-making.