From the moment it was announced that the Patriots were signing free agent wide receiver Stefon Diggs to a three-year deal earlier this offseason, there was a lot of doubt about his readiness for the 2025 season. Because he suffered a season-ending ACL injury during his short stint with the Texans last year, most assumed he wouldn't be ready to go in New England for Week 1.
That is generally the case, as the recovery for ACL tears can be up to a year. However, almost immediately upon his arrival in Foxboro, Diggs has proven to be way ahead of schedule in his recovery, and despite not participating in much of spring practices, he actively posted his workouts away from the team.
He has been participating with the Patriots during training camp over the past month and is performing at a level that implies he will be ready to go for the season opener. But Diggs cast some doubt about that when speaking to NFL insider Dianna Russini earlier this week, prompting many to worry about his upcoming availability.
Stefon Diggs played it well when @DMRussini asked him about his status for Week 1 😏 pic.twitter.com/90htMa5OP4
— Scoop City (@ScoopCityShow) August 14, 2025
Based on the video and the interaction, it feels nearly safe to believe that Diggs is not being entirely honest and is pulling Russini's leg in avoiding answering the question entirely.
Even after seeing that, however, some reporters still felt there was some legitimacy to what Diggs had to say, prompting at least one to ask Mike Vrabel about it before Thursday's joint practice with the Vikings, and to say the head coach was not interested in the basis of that question would be an understatement.
Mike Vrabel continues to prove he is not here for the drama as the Patriots head coach
From watching that interview with Diggs earlier in the week, Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston made sure to ask the Patriots head coach if he had any further comments about the wide receiver's potential availability for Week 1, or lack thereof.
Before he could even finish getting the question out, Vrabel shut it down immediately and made it very clear he was not interested in the gossip, nor did he understand where Perry came to such a conclusion.
Mike Vrabel vs. 100 beat reporters pic.twitter.com/PiMiXd8Etm
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) August 15, 2025
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Vrabel's response to the apparent drama created out of nothing seems to indicate that any concerns about Diggs being ready to go for the regular season are just gossip. That seemed fairly obvious when watching the interview with him, but maybe it wasn't apparent to everyone.
That said, it's the best possible update that the Patriots could receive about Diggs' status. Having him on the field for the season opener will be crucial for Drake Maye and the rest of the offense. It was not something anyone was expecting when the Patriots initially signed him, but Diggs made sure he recovered far quicker than most do from an ACL tear.
He's looked good at practice, even if most of his reps this past week were few and far between, and he looks well on his way to becoming Maye's favorite weapon.