The New England Patriots will have veteran and former Pro Bowl receiver Stefon Diggs fully healthy for their opener on Sunday.
The receiver suffered a torn ACL just 10 months ago with the Texans, and after a strong and quick recovery, it’s full steam ahead for the former divisional foe.
The 31-year-old was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round (146th overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft. He played five seasons in Minnesota, starting 63 games and hauling in 365 catches for 4,623 yards and 30 touchdowns. However, he was traded to the Bills ahead of the 2020 season, where he put up even better statistics. He earned four straight Pro Bowl nominations in Buffalo and was a constant security blanket for quarterback Josh Allen. After four years, Buffalo traded him to the Texans, where he only played in eight games before suffering a season-ending injury.
In 2025 free agency, Diggs signed a three-year, $63.5 million contract with the Patriots that will pay him through age 34. The first-team All-Pro joins DeMario “Pop” Douglas, Mack Hollins, Kayshon Boutte, rookie Kyle Williams, and undrafted free agent Efton Chism on the depth chart.
Although Diggs didn’t play in the preseason, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye told the media he’s excited to get the “rock” to Diggs and let him go to work.
“I think you’ll see good energy from Stef, and I’m looking forward to getting him the rock and letting him do his thing,” Maye said.
When asked if he expects to be on a “pitch count” Sunday, he emphasized, “Hell no!” joking, “I really hope not.”
Diggs also opened his media session by addressing the negative perception of him.
“Obviously, I haven’t talked much in camp. It’s nice to see everybody here. Appreciate y’all. Appreciate your patience,” Diggs said. “I just try to take this time to be focused, get my mind right, get my body right, come into camp with the right mindset, physically and mentally. It’s always big in camp, so I just needed that time.”
After asking for a fresh start, he singled out two Patriots reporters: Phil Perry and Tom Curran. Perry made comments last month saying Diggs was “becoming a bit of a pain in the posterior.”
“I was referred to as a pain in the ass, pain in the posterior, but I’m going to say exactly what it really is,” Diggs told the media. “Obviously I don’t want to come across as that, and I’ll say this: I want to be very clear that I’m an adult. I apologize, and I’m not up here to ego trip.”
Either way, the receiver will be making his Patriots debut Sunday and should have a significant impact on the offensive side of the ball.
The New England Patriots kick off at 1:00 p.m. at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. This week’s game will be broadcast by CBS and can be seen locally on WBZ-TV Channel 4.
My name is Ben Belford-Peltzman and I am the creator and writer of The Patriots Beat. I am a 17-year kid who is an optimistic pessimist about the City of Champions. I started The Patriots Beat in August of 2022 and never expected to grow so much but here we are. Feel free to email Thepatriotsbeat@gmail.com with any inquires.
