Texans WR Stefon Diggs is no stranger to receiving hefty fines from the NFL. Last year as part of the Buffalo Bills, he was $13,659 lighter in the wallet, following his beer-bashing celebration after scoring a touchdown. Now after an ACL injury ended his season, he could be in a world of more pain on the financial side if the NFL takes action over his social media activity.

On Friday, Diggs shared a cryptic post on his Instagram story. It was an image of him with the words “Free Chap“ on his black eyes; the caption of the story also carried the same words. The image was from the Texans vs. Bills game on October 6, when Diggs’ new team prevailed over his former side.

The “Free Chap” message could indicate that the receiver is ready for free agency in 2025, as his one-year contract with the Texans ended abruptly. However, there could be another angle, as in 2017, he tweeted, “Chap gave me that motivation… that genuine support and love.” But how can the message land him trouble with the NFL?

Well, the NFL doesn’t allow players to share personal messages on their bodies during a game. Last month, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens was hit with a $10,231 fine for an explicit remark he had written on his eye black during the Week 5 game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Even though Diggs may have escaped any punishment from the league for displaying the message during the Bills game, he could face repercussions by sharing the image from that game. According to the league rules, there is a fine of $11,255 if a player does it for the first time, and $16,883 for the second time violation. However, as of now, there is no update on whether the NFL has taken any action.

Notably, this rule came to light when DeAngelo Williams honored his mother in 2015, a breast cancer survivor, with the message “find the cure” on his eye blacks. Despite the message being for a noble cause, the league slapped him with a fine just short of $6,000 for violating the rule.

If Diggs ends up getting fined by the NFL, it would be another major blow to his purse after his injury derailed his hopes of a good outing with the Texans.

It started in April this year when the Bills traded him to the Texans. He had a four-year, $96 million contract, but the Texans voided the final three years on Diggs’ contract after 2024, then added a portion of 2025 salary into 2024. They restructured the deal to a one-year, $22.5 million contract and he received an additional $3.5 million in guaranteed money in 2024. This restructure lowered Diggs’s 2024 salary cap charge from $19,005,000 to $6,037,500.

Everything was good during the season. In eight games, he had 47 receptions for 496 receiving yards and three touchdowns. But things turned upside down when he got injured in the week 8 game against the Colts. Though Stefon Diggs suffered a non-contact knee injury, it was later diagnosed as a torn ACL. Subsequently, he was ruled out of the season.

He will soon be a free agent when his contract officially ends, and even though Houston or some other franchise could still sign him to a multi-year deal, his $22.4 million 2024 salary could fall short of the salary owed through 2027 before the preseason contract alteration.

Talking about his free-agent status, where will Diggs end up?

Will Diggs join a NFC team?

Despite his injury, Diggs remains a valuable asset and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Texans offer him a new deal that suits them as well. But the 31-year-old could have options to choose from if he decides to give free agency a go.

Two teams that could line up for Diggs are Tampa Bay and New York Giants according to Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report. “Diggs could be a sneaky target for the Buccaneers, should they lose Chris Godwin in free agency. They are projected to have $31.1 million in cap space, and Diggs might accept an incentive-laden contract that fits with their financial plan.

The New York Giants would also make a ton of sense for Diggs. New York may pivot to a new quarterback in 2025, and Diggs could serve as a high-end No. 2 receiver opposite Malik Nabers—Darius Slayton is set to be a free agent,” Knox mentioned.

Not to mention, Brian Daboll, Giants’ head coach worked with Diggs for two seasons as Buffalo’s offensive coordinator. So Diggs still has a chance to go to a new team next season and maybe ease his financial woes a little bit.