History warns Tennessee against chasing Stefon Diggs. From Randy Moss to Julio Jones, aging veterans have consistently flopped in Nashville, suggesting the franchise must break this expensive cycle.
The Tennessee Titans have not had the best of luck when it comes to wide receivers.
I highlighted the struggles this franchise has had in finding consistency at the position over the years. As much as it pains me to say, the Titans haven't had an elite receiver since A.J. Brown.
Luckily, General Manager Mike Borgonzi noted how little help Cam Ward had at receiver last season and knew changes needed to be made. The Titans' leading receiver in 2025 was tight end Chig Okonkwo (560), who is no longer on the team.
As a franchise, you would hope that a receiver would be the leader in that stat.
The Titans had promising young talent in Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor, as well as tight end Gunnar Helm, who is already on the roster, but still the team needed help.
Borgonzi signed former New York Giants receiver Wan'Dale Robinson in free agency, who will bring his expertise in the slot to the team.
Assistant GM Dave Ziegler hinted that the Titans may not be done adding players, whether that's at offensive line or other positions.
An interesting article by Sports Illustrated's Mike Kadlick was recently released. He believed the Titans could use more help at receiver and called them one of the landing spots for former New England Patriots wideout Stefon Diggs.
There is obviously the off-the-field baggage that is surrounding Diggs lately, but I think that the Titans should avoid him altogether for more reasons than just that.
Don't get me wrong, Diggs had a productive season last year with over 1000 receiving yards, but history tells the Titans they should avoid him.
Let's look at how some of the veteran receivers who have joined the Titans in the past have done.
It might seem like a fever dream, but yes, there was a time when Randy Moss played for the Titans. Tennessee got Moss towards the end of his career for the 2010 season. He played in eight games, starting four, and recorded 80 receiving yards.
His experience with the Titans was so bad that he retired in 2011 before unretiring to play for the San Francisco 49ers in 2012, and then officially retired for good.
A few years later, the Titans acquired former Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson. The division rival went to Nashville and did next to nothing. He ended with 85 receiving yards and retired after the 2016 season.
Tennessee didn't learn its lesson and made a similar mistake a few years later. In 2021, the Titans signed Julio Jones after his time with the Atlanta Falcons ended.
It seemed like a great move if you were Jon Robinson. Jones had finished with over 1000 receiving yards in six of his last seven seasons before joining the Titans. He only played in nine games in 2020, so his numbers took a hit.
After an offseason of hype, he underperformed with Tennessee. Jones had 434 receiving yards and one touchdown.
Last but not least was DeAndre Hopkins.
Hopkins was another former Texans receiver who ended up with the Titans. To his credit, he managed to finish with 1,057 receiving yards in 2023 despite Will Levis and Ryan Tannehill throwing him the ball.
Then came the 2024 season, and Levis was named the starter.
The offense struggled mightily with Levis at the helm, and Hopkins was eventually traded to the Kansas City Chiefs to give him the chance to compete for a Super Bowl ring halfway through that season. He had 173 receiving yards and one touchdown with the Titans before being traded.
He's still in the league, having played for the Baltimore Ravens last season alongside Derrick Henry.
I don't think this Titans' regime is going to make the same mistake that Robinson did with these veteran receivers, but the history should be enough for Borgonzi to steer clear.
Is Diggs still a productive receiver in this league? Yes.
However, the Titans have a history of ruining veteran receivers. Plus, do the Titans really need another wideout?
Calvin Ridley hasn't lived up to his $92 million contract, but I think Carnell Tate deserves a chance to prove he can be a No. 1 WR instead of the Titans adding Diggs to the mix, who will definitely expect to be one of the top targets.
Signing Diggs may seem like a good idea, but it's not one the Titans should seriously entertain.