Dumped by Cardi B, Dropped by the Patriots: Stefon Diggs endures nightmare start to 2026

New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs is facing a tumultuous beginning to 2026, with the team announcing his release on March 4, 2026, following a high-profile breakup with rapper Cardi B just weeks earlier.

The 32-year-old, who joined the Patriots on a three-year, $63.5 million deal in 2025, contributed to their Super Bowl LX run but now enters free agency amid personal and legal challenges.

Per the NFL's official site, New England Patriots informed Diggs of his release ahead of the new league year on March 11, 2026, to avoid a $6 million guarantee kicking in the following week.

His contract, structured to defer cap hits, made a one-year stint likely. In 2025, Diggs recorded 85 receptions for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns in 17 games, providing leadership to a young squad that reached Super Bowl LX.

Despite a quiet Super Bowl performance (three catches for 37 yards in a loss to the Seattle Seahawks), coach Mike Vrabel praised him at the NFL Scouting Combine on February 25, 2026: "Well, I mean, not only his future, but what he was able to do for us and come in and provide leadership. He worked extremely hard in the time that he was rehabbing from the knee. I think he was just a really good presence each and every week."

Diggs expressed gratitude on Instagram: "THANK YOU for a hell of a year ... Until we meet again," before wiping his entire Instagram page.

He now joins a stacked free-agent class including Tyreek Hill, Mike Evans, and Deebo Samuel.

Diggs' split from Cardi B, with whom he shares a son born in November 2025, was attributed to repeated betrayals, capping a difficult period for the veteran athlete.

The pair, whose romance had dominated headlines since late 2025, reportedly split following months of tension and public spats.

Diggs and Cardi's relationship had attracted enormous attention after the rapper finalized her divorce from Offset.

But insiders say the drama surrounding Diggs’ growing controversies and multiple baby mamas crippled their romance. The couple welcomed a son in November 2025, but the relationship was described as "always so up and down."

"He betrayed her so many times. Her friends have been trying to show her that he is not right for her and that she deserved better," one source said.

Another insider noted: "Things were getting too heated and complicated. Cardi is very no-nonsense. The second she felt that she couldn't trust him, she pulled back to focus on her kids, her music and tour."

Cardi B addressed the rumors post-Super Bowl, defending Diggs amid beef with rapper BIA, but later eviscerated him in a concert rant during her 'Little Miss Drama Tour'.

In addition to his challenges, Diggs faces an April 1, 2026, pretrial hearing after pleading not guilty to felony strangulation and other charges from an alleged dispute with his personal chef.