The pool of wide receivers for the Kansas City Chiefs to acquire shrank after the Philadelphia Eagles traded A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots last week. In an AFC without a clear-cut favorite, the Chiefs could potentially make another run as they look to bounce back from a disappointing 6-11 2025 season. Veteran receiver Stefon Diggs is still on the open market, and he could be the player to raise the ceiling for Kansas City. Here are three reasons why the Chiefs should pursue Diggs.
Rashee Rice is great when he is on the field, but the off-the-field issues may once again turn him into Half Man, Half A Season. Rice is currently serving a 30-day jail sentence after testing positive for THC, which violated his probation. That added to the list of legal issues for the former SMU Mustang, which includes a hit-and-run, aggravated assault allegations, and street racing. The NFL has not indicated that Rice will face further disciplinary action upon his return, but the Chiefs may want to consider an insurance plan at wideout just in case.
Diggs is still a highly productive receiver, even as he enters the latter stages of his career. The 11-year veteran posted a stat line of 85/1013/4 on nearly 12 yards per reception for the Patriots in 2025. The production came after a 2024 season in which Diggs tore his ACL, making the feat even more impressive for the 32-year-old.
The best ability is availability, which has defined Diggs for the majority of his career. Diggs has played in at least 15 regular-season games in seven of the last eight years, with the first three years of that stretch being on a 16-game schedule. Kansas City needs consistency at the WR, and Diggs may be the best available at this juncture.
The Chiefs open up the 2026 season with a Monday night game against the Denver Broncos, followed by a Sunday night contest versus the Indianapolis Colts. The NFL likely did not schedule that with the idea that Justin Fields would be under center for Kansas City to start the year (respectfully). Former MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL back in December, but participated in OTAs just over a week ago. With the season still being just over three months away, Mahomes still has time to work all the way back.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid recently praised his star QB for his work ethic during this recovery process (via The Herd).
The rehab part of it, he’s been relentless with that. It’s crazy how much time he’s spent on this thing. He’s doing it the right way.
Mahomes is the ultimate competitor and will surely do whatever he can to be ready for Week One. With that in mind, Kansas City needs to act accordingly regarding the supporting cast. That could mean bringing in a player like Diggs to pair with Rice, or fill in as the primary target if needed.
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If Mahomes is indeed healthy to start the season, the Chiefs could find themselves right back in the mix. When looking around the AFC, it is probably more wide open than many people expect. The defending AFC champion Patriots have a much tougher schedule in 2026. Meanwhile, the Buffalo Bills once again could not get over the hump, even with Kansas City being down. The Houston Texans have a championship-caliber defense, but after that dud of a playoff performance from QB C.J. Stroud, he will be hard to trust.
The Baltimore Ravens are always in contention, and of course, made a splash move acquiring edge rusher Trey Hendrickson from the Cincinnati Bengals. They are another team, however, who fall into that “cannot get over the hump” category, and may not have enough offensive weapons.
There is really no clear-cut favorite in the conference. Are we really ready to trust the Bengals or the Jacksonville Jaguars? Do we believe in the Los Angeles Chargers after another underwhelming playoff game from Justin
Herbert, or the Denver Broncos with Bo Nix?
All of that is to say that there is no reason to believe the Chiefs cannot make a run this year with a healthy Mahomes. Kansas City is not getting any younger, and with a player like Travis Kelce, there may not be a next year. Diggs is sitting right there and may be the best available WR option. Yes, he has also had some legal issues himself, but they seem to be behind him now. Last month, Diggs was cleared of the allegations against him and should be ready to go if a team calls him.
Reuniting with veteran WR Tyreek Hill is also an option, but he probably would not be ready to play until midseason. Either way, the Chiefs should add another body to that receiving room.
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