The hope amongst analysts and fans going into the 2025 offseason was that no matter who would inevitably be hired as the next head coach, they would revolve additions to the roster around supporting Drake Maye better than his rookie season. That's likely just one reason that led Robert Kraft to Mike Vrabel, and he has done an impressive job accomplishing that so far.
A free agency dominated by adding top-tier defensive players allowed for the Patriots to focus on the offense early in the 2025 NFL Draft. They have now ensured that Maye will be properly flanked with the caliber of talent needed to elevate him to new heights after a standout rookie season.
That was made even more clear with the late free agency signing of wide receiver Stefon Diggs, as the Patriots appear to have finally found the WR1 they have been lacking since Julian Edelman retired five years ago. And to make that decision even better is Maye's reaction to Diggs' arrival, which appears to be a dream come true for the young quarterback.
Drake Maye couldn't be more excited about Stefon Diggs joining the Patriots offense in 2025
After a rookie year filled with weekly changing offensive line groupings, wide receivers who couldn't get open, and running backs fumbling the football, Maye deserved a much-improved offensive roster going into his second season. With a new head coach and staff in the building, it was assured that this would be the goal of this offseason.
That was apparent with the gamble signing of Diggs, not only because of his well-documented dramas with his previous teams but also because the 31-year-old is coming off an ACL injury suffered in late October of the 2024 season.
Fortunately, missing out on their presumed free agent targets and trade hopefuls led Vrabel to Diggs, which has Maye excited about working with the player he often rostered when playing Madden.
“Shoot, Stefon, he was one of those guys growing up when I was in high school, he was young in the league. I had him on my fantasy team and things like that - playing with him in Madden. It’s pretty cool to hopefully now in-season throw to him. He’s coming back obviously from injury. He’s doing great. He’s been around. It’s going to be cool to throw to a receiver who’s made plays like he has.
He’s made big plays in playoff games and played in a lot of different schemes, played with high-level quarterbacks. Just to see his point of view. It’s my job to give him a chance and go get it.”
If there was any doubt about how things are going with Diggs in the Patriots locker room already, this surely dispels any concerns.
Because he will immediately become Maye's go-to weapon, it's good to see that the quarterback is also buying into what Vrabel has given him for the 2025 season already. Things are already going far better than they were a year ago, and with the countless additions to the offense, Maye will inevitably become a quarterback to watch.
How he and Diggs will work together will likely become one of the season's biggest storylines, too, and not just because the receiver is coming off an injury. The Patriots haven't had a 1,000-yard pass catcher on the team since Edelman in 2020, so Diggs could break that historically this year, which Maye seems more than capable of helping to accomplish.
They have the opportunity to be the best offense the Patriots have had in a very long time.