Who Should I Start? Stefon Diggs or George Pickens

Friday, February 27, 5:28 AM

The Athletic's Chad Graff writes that the New England Patriots "will make a call soon" on wide receiver Stefon Diggs' future, and it could mean cutting the 32-year-old veteran or restructuring his contract as early as next week. Diggs is set to carry a $26.5 million salary cap hit this year, and his contract guarantees him $6 million if he's on the roster on March 13. New England is in a tough position, as Diggs became the first Patriots receiver in six years to top 1,000 receiving yards in a season, and it would be counterproductive for quarterback Drake Maye if the team were to cut their best WR. A league source expects the Pats to cut Diggs, unless they're able to "dramatically lower his cap hit with a reworked contract." If the Patriots do cut Diggs, Graff expects them to look at Mike Evans or Alec Pierce (if he's available). The other free-agent options at WR are not great.

Friday, February 27, 12:45 PM

The Dallas Cowboys officially placed the franchise tag on impending free-agent wide receiver George Pickens on Friday, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Now the two sides will try to work out a long-term contract extension before the July 15 deadline, with executive vice president Stephen Jones saying that the team isn't putting any timeframe on it. Rapoport said he does not expect Pickens to report to the team's facilities "unless and until there is a long-term deal." Rapoport also wonders if there is a team out there that would be willing to give up a premium draft pick and sign Pickens to a long-term deal themselves to try to pry the 24-year-old away from Dallas for 2026 and beyond. If Dallas and Pickens are unable to reach a long-term deal by July 15, and he's not traded, he'd play the upcoming season on a one-year, fully guaranteed $28 million contract. All signs point to the former second-rounder playing in Dallas again in 2026, where he had a career-best 93 catches for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns in 17 regular-season games. Pickens is a locked-in WR1 in fantasy for this fall.