Will the Washington Commanders make another move at wide receiver before the 2026 season begins? Everyone assumes they will, especially when the San Francisco 49ers move on from Brandon Aiyuk. But what if Aiyuk’s red flags are too much for the Commanders? Or, what if Washington doesn’t want to wait on the 49ers to release Aiyuk?
There is another prominent wide receiver available with a long track record of success and ties to the DMV. Stefon Diggs is a four-time Pro Bowler and is coming off a season in which he led the AFC champion New England Patriots with 85 receptions and 1,013 receiving yards.
Diggs has also expressed a desire to return home to the Washington area.
With the NFL closing its personal conduct policy investigation into Diggs last week, he’s free to sign anywhere. He recently spoke to Fox 5 DC on Monday, where he discussed playing for the hometown Commanders.
“I never realized how many fans it was back home until I was a free agent and people were like, ‘Are you going to come back home?'” Diggs told Fox 5, via Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk.
“Especially when they see me back. I’m like this, I’ve been living here for my whole life. I’ve been living here for 10 years. They was just like this, ‘Oh, we never see you.’ I was like, ‘Man, y’all wasn’t looking.’ It’s a lot of hopes. We’re kind of figuring it out, working through some things. I did have a small piece of me, like, ‘Damn, it would be great to come home and play in front of the fans I used to play in front of as a young adolescent in college, and just kind of doing something for the city.’ Hopefully, things do work out. We’ll see how it goes.”
Stefon Diggs on playing with the #Commanders:
“It’s a lot of hopes. We’re kind of figuring it out, working through some things. I did have a small piece of me, like damn, it would be great to come home and play in front of the fans…”
(via:@fox5dc) pic.twitter.com/uIFwOU7w57
— brandon (@JayDanielsMVP) June 15, 2026
That sure sounds like a man who wants to play in Washington. Diggs grew up nearby in Montgomery County, Maryland, and played collegiately at the University of Maryland, only minutes from Northwest Stadium.
The Commanders have Terry McLaurin back healthy, but, as we’ve seen so many times over the years, plenty of questions beyond him. There is hope, though. First, you have rookie third-round pick Antonio Williams. Luke McCaffrey and Jaylin Lane are another year older, while Washington is excited about former Titans first-round pick Treylon Burks. The returning Dyami Brown is also in the mix.
While the Commanders should be excited about some of the younger receivers on the roster, Diggs offers them something they currently lack outside of McLaurin. He’s also not going to cost a lot and will not require a long-term commitment.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Stefon Diggs makes his case for 2026
