The New England Patriots went into the offseason ready to throw some money around. The Patriots were equipped with over $100 million in cap space at the beginning of the free agent period, and after back-to-back three-win seasons, they were ready to make a splash to complement new head coach Mike Vrabel.
If they wanted to improve the team, the Patriots succeeded. Milton Williams, Harold Landry, and Carlton Davis were just some of the names that came aboard this spring, and others, such as Robert Spillane, made a name for themselves during the offseason program. But while one offseason signing has provided its benefits, it’s created an unnecessary headache as New England enters training camp.
Stefon Diggs Has Brought Both Sides of His Persona to the Patriots
The Patriots made a controversial addition to the team when they signed Stefon Diggs to a three-year, $63.5 million contract in free agency. The polarizing receiver was coming off a torn ACL suffered in his lone season with the Houston Texans, but is the target the Patriots need as a four-time Pro Bowler, a former All-Pro, and the player on the receiving end of one of the greatest plays in NFL history, the Minneapolis Miracle.
Unfortunately, Diggs came with some baggage. His time with the Minnesota Vikings came to an end after beefing with head coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman in 2020. While Diggs completed his star turn becoming Josh Allen’s top target with the Buffalo Bills, he completed a heel turn in 2023 in a nasty divorce that resulted in a trade with the Texans.
Diggs was on his best behavior in Houston before the deal, and perhaps that’s what got him the big contract from the Patriots coming off a major injury at age 31. But that didn’t seem to be the case when Diggs was spotted on a boat partying with Instagram models and a mysterious pink substance.
Perhaps Vrabel prefers his mysterious substances to be involved in Yokozuna matches as a casual wrestling fan. Or maybe he was triggered as a coach that writes a “voluntary letter” reminding his players that “voluntary workouts” are indeed voluntary. Whatever it was, Diggs was a saint when he arrived at minicamp, establishing a quick rapport with new quarterback Drake Maye.
“He seems like an awesome teammate,” Maye said of Diggs via Mass Live’s Karen Guregian. “He’s my locker mate, one down from beside me. We talk all the time. He’s a veteran in this league. He’s made a lot of plays, played in a lot of big-time games. Just an awesome voice for the receiver room for this offense.”
Perhaps everything will be fine and Diggs will be the leader the Patriots are hoping from here on out. And even if Diggs likes to have fun during his free time, Patriots fans will take the good with the bad after watching Hunter Henry and Demario Douglas finish as their top two pass-catchers last season.
They just might want to see Diggs tone it down a bit before leading the Patriots to make a surprise run in the AFC East.