For everything that has been said about new Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs over the course of his career, and even just about two months into his tenure in New England, few players have ever said he is a bad teammate. Now, his flighty nature and sometimes selfish actions do often shed a negative light on him and the team, and bring uncomfortable questions along with them, but most players who have been on the field with him enjoy the experience.
As former Bills quarterback Josh Allen said of Diggs: “I’ll always love that guy like a brother. And I wish him nothing but the best.”
The Patriots have already had their share of hand-wringing over Diggs, as a Memorial Day weekend video of him lounging on a boat with several women, pulling out a packet of an unidentified powdery substance, went viral on social media and raised questions about whether New England would cut him outright.
Well, they’re keeping him. And as Diggs is working his way back from an ACL tear suffered last October, with an outside chance he could be ready to be the Patriots’ WR1 to open the season, Job 1 is to form a bond with the Patriots’ second-year quarterback, Drake Maye.
Drake Maye’s Locker Is Next to Stefon Diggs
On Monday at Patriots mandatory minicamp, Maye addressed his relationship with Diggs for the first time. Far from hoping to shield Maye for any negative influence Diggs might bring, the Patriots actually have the duo sitting next to each other in the locker room.
“He seems like an awesome teammate,” Maye said. “He’s my next door, to my locker—lockermates, he is one down, beside me. We talk all the time. He is a veteran in this league, he has made a lot of plays. He has played in a lot of big-time games. So just an awesome voice for the receiver room, for this offense.
“He has had some big games and I think once he kind of recovers and is able to get back out there, I am looking forward to, you know, being able to throw him some footballs and just, it’s always good to have a guy like that on your team.”
Patriots Needed Experience at WR
Indeed, Diggs, who had six straight 1,100-yard seasons and was likely on his way to another before he suffered the ACL injury in 2024, is one of three veteran receivers who has playoff experience on his resume. Free-agent signee Mack Hollins, who has won a Super Bowl with the Eagles, is another, as is incumbent Kendrick Bourne.
The combination of experience and work ethic from Diggs has impressed Maye.
“He comes in here, you know, lifting, in the meetings, asking questions,” Maye said. “Asking me, after plays, ‘Hey, what should I have done there? You know, in times past, I’ve done this when the guy has played this leverage.’ He has seen a lot of different things, played a long time in this league, so it’s been great for me to be able to—him and Mack and Kendrick Bourne, you got three not really old heads, but kinda hold heads, you know, in their 30s.
“So, it’s been awesome for us to find how they lead the room and lead this offense.”
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