Foxborough, Massachusetts — Up until this point in the offseason, the New England patriots hadn’t done enough to support quarterback Drake May.
That changed dramatically on Tuesday night.
With veteran receiver Stefon Diggs on a $26 million guaranteed three-year, $69 million contract, the Patriot made a decisive move on second-year franchise quarterback Maye, who was missing last season.
Diggs, 31, suffered on October 27th as he returned from a torn ACL in his right knee, so maybe he wasn’t what he once was. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Diggs is expected to be ready for week one, let alone rehabilitation.
Consider the Patriot receiver ranked 28th in the NFL with 161 catches and 10 touchdowns last season, followed with 1,723 receiving yards and 78 first downs (linked with the Pittsburgh Steelers).
And up to this point, their only addition to addressing the position this offseason was to sign Mac Hollins in a two-year, $8.4 million deal. The 6-foot-4, 221-pound Holyn is helpful, but really gives him the opportunity to be promoted towards the upper ranks, maximizing what he has for May on his rookie contract, and Josh McDaniels is back as the offensive coordinator – the Patriots had to be bold.
This does that. Before the injury ended the 2024 season early, the Diggs had six consecutive 1,000-yard season wins. The Patriot has not had a 1,000-yard receiver since Julian Edelman in 2019.
If you need to know how dangerous the Diggs, who was previously a member of the Buffalo Bills of AFC East Rival, is, then it’s a patriot. Diggs ’61 Catches at New England is the most tied to his opponents of his career, but his 779 receiving yards and eight touchdowns will be his second against his opponent.
Patriot players’ reactions On social media, he talked about the amount of respect he has earned, including cornerback Christian Gonzalez and veteran receiver Kendrick Bourne.
In Houston last season, quarterback CJ Stroud raved about Diggs, saying, “He wasn’t surprising to this team and his teammates. He helped me.” In January, Stroud expressed his hopes that Diggs might return to the Texans in 2025.
How the Maye-Diggs combination grows will be one of the more persuasive storylines of the Patriots. When the two began following each other on Instagram this week, it gave the public a glimpse of their steps towards starting to form a bond.
The pairings were made for weeks.
When the legal negotiation period for the Free Agency began on March 10th, the Patriots were offering big money to recipient Chris Godwin. The Patriots considered a deal with DK Metcalf, who was going to go to the Steelers. They then handed over Veteran Coop P’s deal. Couppacup later signed with the Seattle Seahawks. High-end options were declining (Amari Cooper, Keenan Allen, etc.).
Diggs and the Patriot seem to be the perfect match. Diggs won a big money deal that is unlikely to come from another team based on his return from an injury. Patriots had a prominent need and money.
Certainly there is more to do. The left side of the offensive line remains a concern and could be addressed in a draft.
However, this could be a game-changer for New England, and May is the main beneficiary.
