It might have taken a bit longer than most were expecting, and he may not be who fans were necessarily hoping for, but the Patriots finally signed a game-changing wide receiver last week when they offered a three-year contract to Stefon Diggs.
The former longtime Bills player was among the shortlist of free agents that could land in New England this offseason, who many thought could be a great fit to work with Drake Maye in his second season. However, there were some doubts about his performance, given that he is recovering from an ACL injury suffered in late October of last year, in addition to his age and general demeanor.
Although he's one of the older players the Patriots could have signed, as he will be 32 this upcoming season, he didn't show any noticeable signs of slowing down during his lone season with the Texans in 2024, and was on pace to record over 1,000 yards before his season-ending injury.
That still hasn't convinced some fans that signing Diggs was the right move for the Patriots, so hearing Mike Vrabel's take on the kind of player he is and why they signed him should help alleviate any lingering concerns.
Mike Vrabel's assessment of Stefon Diggs is exactly what worried Patriots fans need to hear
Other than the general criticism of the signing, mainly pointing to what some have deemed to be an overpay for a receiver coming off a major injury, a lot has already been said about the Patriots potentially bringing in a problematic player who has already talked his way off of two of his former teams.
Character concerns have continued to be raised since the Diggs announcement, which have been accompanied by worries surrounding his return to the field after the ACL tear. Fortunately, Vrabel appeared on the Green Light with Chris Long podcast this week and addressed the latest chatter, giving the best possible answer on why Diggs deserved to be the next New England Patriot.
Coach Vrabel on what the addition of Stefon Diggs means for the Patriots pic.twitter.com/AMgQJYbVP1
— Green Light with Chris Long (@greenlight) March 27, 2025
His comments about Diggs' attitude, demeanor, and conversation during their two-day meeting with him reveal a great deal about the importance of adding the right talent around Drake Maye and the kind of player the Patriots are acquiring. Couple that with Vrabel's clear priority of adding the right talent around the young quarterback, and it's clear that he wouldn't have signed Diggs if he didn't feel he would be a good fit for what they're trying to accomplish.
Time will certainly tell, and we'll have to see how the dynamic is with him in the building, but there's no reason to believe Diggs will be a problem for the Patriots roster, especially when the Texans had nothing but good things to say about him from the 2024 season.
Any concerns about his injury, too, should be mostly put to rest, as everything indicates he has made far more progress in his recovery than anyone should expect at this stage, being less than six months out of surgery, and he's already working out at a high level.