The last few days have been a whirlwind for the New England Patriots as NFL free agency continues. Fortunately, Friday was a day of excitement for the franchise as the Patriots finally introduced free-agent signing Stefon Diggs to the local media.
Diggs, 31, signed a three-year, $69 million contract earlier this week to finally provide quarterback Drake Maye with the No. 1 wideout he desperately needs. Although fans can't wait to see what the dynamic duo will accomplish on the gridiron, the Patriots fanbase is also excited to see how Diggs meshes with head coach Mike Vrabel, whose New England tenure is also only getting started.
As it turns out, Diggs has already interacted with Vrabel, and, from the sound of things, the multi-time Pro Bowl playmaker clearly already feels at home.
Patriots News: Stefon Diggs Details Hilarious 1st Interaction With Mike Vrabel
While some players and coaches tend to discuss football during their first interaction, that wasn't the case for the Patriots player-coach pair. Diggs told the media that he made quite the compliment toward Vrabel, only to backtrack a few seconds later — the perfect example of the wideout's sense of humor.
"I told (Vrabel) he was young and handsome... He's still kind of young but I don't know about the handsome part," Diggs joked. "I make a lot of jokes so there's going to be a lot more (social media) posts but it's something to be excited about."
"I told him he was young and handsome." 🤣
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) March 28, 2025
Stefon Diggs on meeting Coach Vrabel. pic.twitter.com/Y9wiWeTsG7
It's no secret that Vrabel is a player's coach who enjoys having personal interactions with his pupils. It's a stark comparison from the franchise's days under Bill Belichick, who was less personable with his players and often ran the team like a business rather than a family.
The Patriots players and coaching staff are going to spend more time with each other than their families once training camp and the regular season begin, so having a part-time comedian like Diggs around will certainly help lighten the mood. His off-field personality has made him a fan favorite everywhere he's gone, and the hope is the same reputation will follow him to New England.
Diggs' comments are entertaining, however, he'll also need to entertain the fanbase on the field if he wants to stay in their good graces. Fortunately, the newest Patriots WR has more than proven himself throughout a 10-year career that's seen him rack up 10,491 receiving yards and 70 touchdowns on 857 catches while making four Pro Bowl appearances with two All-Pro nods mixed in.
That career performance includes an impressive 40-506-7 stat line in six all-time trips to Gillette Stadium. Perhaps that's why Diggs is already feeling at home in New England.
Even though he's one of the NFL's top active wideouts, Patriots fans might want to temper expectations at first. Diggs is coming off a 2024 campaign that ended prematurely when he tore his ACL in November. All signs point to his making a full recovery, however, the chances of a successful bounce-back performance won't be known until he hits the field.
In the meantime, it appears as if Patriots fans can expect quite an entertaining offseason between Diggs and Vrabel. If all goes to plan and New England returns to the playoffs, the six-time 1,000-yard WR might be the key to keeping his head coach looking young forever.