On Wednesday, the New England Patriots announced that they would be releasing star wide receiver Stefon Diggs. In his lone year with the Patriots, Diggs was Drake Maye’s favorite target, catching 85 passes for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns. He did disappear a bit down the stretch, but he was still their best receiver.

With Diggs gone, the Patriots’ wide receiver room is looking pretty bleak. Their top wideout is Kayshon Boutte, so it’s clear that they will look to make some upgrades at receiver. But how can they do it?

Here are some receivers the Patriots could target in the draft, free agency or in a trade.

Trade Block

There are two big names the Patriots could try to trade for this offseason: A.J. Brown and Brian Thomas Jr. It’s clear that Brown wants out of Philadelphia, and there will be plenty of teams in a bidding war for his talent. On the other side, Jacksonville says they aren’t looking to move Thomas, but after a down year in 2025, they could trade him if the right offer is on the table.

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The Philadelphia Eagles seem to want a first round pick for Brown, but that seems unrealistic. He’ll be 29 years old next year, is on a pretty massive deal and is known to be a bit of a dive (but what wide receiver isn’t?). It feels like Brown’s price point is going to end up being a second rounder plus a day three pick. If I’m New England, I’m more than willing to part with a late second and fifth to get Drake Maye a true WR1.

But if the Patriots want to go younger, Brian Thomas Jr. is the logical option. After a stellar rookie year, he took a step back in his first year with Liam Coen as playcaller. The Jags also brought in Travis Hunter and Jakobi Meyers, so they’re perfectly fine at receiver if they move him. BTJ would likely cost more – probably New England’s first rounder – but again, if it means Maye gets a true WR1 to grow with, I’d be more than willing to make that trade.

If the Patriots wanted to make a smaller splash, someone like Michael Pittman could be a name to watch. It’s rumored that the Indianapolis Colts could deal the veteran wideout to clear over $20 million in cap space, and it would probably take a mid-round pick to get it done.

If the Patriots want to go the trade route, there are plenty of options out there, and it’s probably their best way to get a bona fide WR1.

Free Agent Targets

If the Patriots want to target a receiver in free agency, they probably won’t land the same quality of player, but there are still some solid options available.

The top guy in this free agent class is Alec Pierce. He’s 6-foot-3, 211 pounds with 4.41 speed and is coming off his first 1,000-yard season. Projections are coming in for him to land a $27+ million dollar per year deal, so the Patriots would have to be willing to break the bank for Pierce, who has averaged over 20 yards per catch the last two years.

If they want to go cheaper, guys like Romeo Doubs, Jauan Jennings and Rashid Shaheed could be their targets. They will all likely land in the $10-20 million per year range and can be high-end WR2s, but probably not WR1s.

If the Patriots want a slot receiver, they have to target Wan’Dale Robinson. He’s coming off a 1,000-yard season, and is easily the best slot receiver available in free agency or the draft.

New England could also go the veteran route again, and try to sign someone like Mike Evans or Deebo Samuel. Obviously, neither are long-term options, but if they want to go young in the draft and bring in a veteran wideout to help them make a push in 2026, that’s another route.

There are plenty of receivers available in free agency, but I don’t know if they can find a true WR1 unless they break the bank for Pierce.

NFL Draft Targets

Unless they trade up, the Patriots will be out of range of the top three receivers in this draft class – Carnell Tate, Jordyn Tyson and Makai Lemon. However, there will still be a handful of receivers available at the end of the first round that could be the pick at 31.

It’s unlikely that all four of KC Concepcion, Omar Cooper, Malachi Fields and Denzel Boston will be available when New England is picking, but there’s a good chance at least one of them are. They’re not the same caliber of player as the top three guys, but they’re all still very talented and could make a big impact for a WR-needy team.

But if New England goes a different route, there will still be some good ones available in round two. Whoever is still available of Skyler Bell, Elijah Sarratt, Germie Bernard, Antonio Williams and Zach Branch will definitely be in consideration at the end of the second.

And if the Patriots ignore receiver until later, there are still some value picks late. Guys like Bryce Lance, Ja’Kobi Lane, Deion Burks, Tyren Montgomery, Barion Brown and others are projected to go in the rounds 3-7, but could still be an instant starter on this team.

How I Would Attack It

If I were the Patriots, I wouldn’t be afraid to lose some draft capital in this draft to secure a top receiver. Whether that’s Brian Thomas, A.J. Brown or Michael Pittman, it doesn’t matter. All of them would instantly be the best receiver on the team. I’d probably go Thomas, Brown, Pittman in that order, but again, any of them would be fine.

I wouldn’t neglect receiver in the draft and free agency, though. If they bring in an X receiver, I’d like to see them target Wan’Dale Robinson in free agency to play the slot. He did a lot of good things in New York last season, and a slot receiver can be a quarterback’s best friend.

Even if they trade and sign one, I would still draft one late. This is a pretty deep receiver class, so you can find an impact player like Tyren Montgomery or Barion Brown on day three.

If the Patriots can enter 2026 with a receiving core that looks something like Brian Thomas/A.J. Brown, Wan’Dale Robinson, Kayshon Boutte and Tyren Montgomery, I would feel really good about their offense.