The Patriots signed the ex-Bills wide receiver to a three-year deal this offseason.
In their quest to upgrade the supporting cast around quarterback Drake Maye, the New England Patriots kicked the tires on several wide receivers this offseason. The highest-profile addition to their team came via a massive three-year, $63.5 million contract: former All-Pro Stefon Diggs was signed in March to fill a starter role for the Patriots.
Despite coming off a season-ending ACL tear, optimism is high for Diggs. He was on pace for his seventh straight 1,000-yard season in his lone year with the Houston Texans in 2024, and is expected to be back at full strength by the time the regular season starts on September 7.
If so, he will add a reliable receiving threat to Maye’s arsenal. And don’t just take it from us; take it from Diggs’ former quarterback with the Buffalo Bills, Josh Allen.
“I think he brings a lot of security for Drake” the reigning NFL MVP recently told Sports Illustrated. “Obviously, having the knowledge of playing in the league for so long, he has that veteran mentorship that he can give to Drake.”
Allen and Diggs spent a total of four seasons together in Buffalo. During their time together, the former Minnesota Vikings fifth-round draft pick was voted to four straight Pro Bowls and caught a combined 492 passes for 5,972 yards and 39 touchdowns in 75 regular season and playoff games.
Now, via his one-year stint in Houston, Diggs has taken his talents to Buffalo’s AFC East rivals. There, the hope is that he will have the same effect on Maye that he had on Allen back when they first joined forces in 2020.
In case the duo can reach similar levels, the Patriots might be in for a proper rebound off of back-to-back four-win seasons. Maye, after all, showed plenty of promise during his rookie season.
“I think Drake is super talented,” Allen said about the second-year QB. “He’s one of my favorite young quarterbacks in the league. I’ve spent some time around him and he’s got his head on his shoulders the right way. He just does things the right way. I think that he exemplifies football. He’ll take it and run, he’ll throw it and to have someone like Stefon is going to help him out a lot.”