Stefon Diggs now plays for the Washington Commanders, but the New England Patriots’ decision to let him go in March is drawing fresh criticism.

The talk came a day after Sunday’s 45-27 loss to the Green Bay Packers at Gillette Stadium dropped New England to 5-4. NFL analyst Kevin Wildes and a group of fans pointed to Diggs’ departure as the reason the Patriots are missing something this season.

Why Stefon Diggs Was Released, and the Leadership Fans Say Left?

Sunday’s game got away from the Patriots almost immediately. Green Bay scored touchdowns on its first two possessions to lead 14-0 with 7:59 left in the first quarter, and New England never pulled closer than 10 points.

Drake Maye threw three interceptions in the first half, and New England gave the ball away four times in all. Jordan Love, meanwhile, carved up the Patriots for 372 yards and three touchdown passes.

Wildes put it plainly: “We have none of this this year. We lost the soul of the team,” while sharing a video of Diggs’ sideline interaction with Mike Vrabel from last season.

In the video, Diggs said, “I’m ready to block,” and Vrabel replied, “You haven’t blocked once.” Vrabel then turned to nearby players and asked how the Patriots had gained 250 yards through three quarters without Diggs blocking once.

One fan replied to Wildes by going straight to the roster decision: “Again, why didn’t we keep this man? Everybody in Patriots nation wanted to keep Diggs.”

New England released Diggs on March 11, the first day of the new league year, after just one season with the team. Reports indicated the Patriots made the move before another $6 million of his contract became fully guaranteed and gave Diggs advance notice so he could begin looking for a new team as early as possible.

Another fan was blunter about how it ended: “We let home walk for nothing smh. Ridiculous and embarrassing.”

One more fan kept it simple: “We miss Diggs; we need to call & make up.”

There was production behind the sentiment. Diggs caught 85 passes for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns in 17 regular-season games last season, and Pro Football Network’s NFL WR Impact Grade had him at 82.9 for the full 2025 season, seventh of 78 graded wide receivers. New England reached Super Bowl LX with him and lost to the Seattle Seahawks.

To another fan, that presence was the point: “Somebody has to be a leader and be a voice. Diggs was that voice. Not keeping Diggs was a big mistake on the field and off.”

One fan tied the moves to Maye, grouping Diggs with receiver Kayshon Boutte, now with the Houston Texans: “I’ll die mad that the Patriots got rid of Kayshon Boutte & Stef Diggs. They had youth, experience (respectively) and mad chemistry with Drake Maye.”

Turnovers and Sidelined Receivers Also Shape the New England Patriots’ Season

One fan looked past Diggs and toward A.J. Brown: “You brought in AJ Brown’s bad vibes.”

Brown has nine catches for 101 yards through Week 9. He and Romeo Doubs, whom New England added after deciding to move on from Diggs, were both sidelined Sunday.

DeMario Douglas led the Patriots with 102 receiving yards on five catches, while Green Bay’s Christian Watson and Matthew Golden combined for 335 receiving yards.

Maye turned the focus inward after the game: “We haven’t had a clean, turnover-free game yet. It’s starting with me. It’s one of the biggest differences between winning and losing football games.”

The Patriots have committed 19 turnovers through nine games, and Green Bay capitalized on New England’s mistakes to pull away for a convincing win on Sunday. Despite those recurring turnover problems, the Patriots remain second in the AFC East.

With the Commanders, Diggs has 30 catches for 303 yards and five touchdowns through Week 9. Those five scores already top the four he caught in his lone regular season in New England.