The New England Patriots have had a clear need at wide receiver over the last few years and went out and landed a clear-cut No. 1 option in Stefon Diggs.
He's a superstar and although he's coming off an injury is the Patriots' best wide receiver in years. Although this is the case, he's been the subject of some drama over the last week as a video surfaced of him partying on a boat on social media ahead of organized team activities. Head coach Mike Vrabel weighed in on the video on Wednesday.
There's no reason for concern at this time. Diggs is the team's top receiver and will be huge for quarterback Drake Maye's development. Take a look at what he did with the Buffalo Bills. Before he got there, Josh Allen looked like a future star, but wasn't able to take that next step. When Diggs arrive in Buffalo, having that clear-cut No. 1 option helped to take Allen to another level and now he will try to do the same with New England.
It's going to be interesting to see how he bounces back from the injury. Pro Football Focus' Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman even called him the Patriots' biggest "X-factor" heading into the 2025 season.
"Biggest weakness in 2024: Drake Maye‘s supporting cast," Chadwick and Wasserman said. "It’s hard to find a worse environment for a quarterback than what No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye walked into last season. New England’s offensive line garnered a 48.5 PFF grade — more than nine points lower than any other team — and the team's 66.8 PFF receiving grade ranked third worst in the league. The Patriots are hoping the following two players help fix that issue and allow Maye to build on an encouraging rookie season, given the circumstances.
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"X-factor for 2025: WR Stefon Diggs. Maye has a new top receiver for 2025. Stefon Diggs signed a three-year, $63.5 million contract with New England, and while he is 31 years old and coming off a torn ACL, he has still been one of the 10 most valuable receivers in the NFL over the past five years, according to PFF WAR. But if he can’t bounce back from his injury, the Patriots' receiving corps will still be one of the worst in the NFL."
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