Sep 29, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Stefon Diggs (1) scores against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
The New England Patriots finally landed a star wide receiver to complement quarterback Drake Maye by signing former All-Pro Stefon Diggs to a three-year deal worth up to $69 million with $26 million fully guaranteed.
And while many see this as a great move for New England, there are others who are taken aback by the money for the 32 year-old coming off a torn ACL. One of those doubters is Nick Wright, who gave his thoughts in an appearance on The Colin Cowherd Podcast.
“Diggs last year was fine,” Wright said. “He was not great. He was fine. And now he is going to be, at the start of next season, 10 months, not even a full year removed from the first major injury of his career. It’s an ACL. If you would have asked me ‘Diggs is going to sign, what’s his deal going to be?’ I would be like ‘I don’t know, man. 10 percent less than Davante Adams deal.’ $26 million guaranteed is a s**tload of money to Stefon Diggs who wears out his welcome and I don’t know if he is good for Drake Maye.”
The skepticism is fair, considering the injury but also Diggs’ current reputation. He all but forced his way out of Buffalo, seemingly due to internal issues with head coach Sean McDermott and a fractured relationship with Josh Allen. Tyler Dunne of Go Long reported that Diggs didn’t like playing for McDermott and that the two were “oil and water.” It was also reported that Diggs and Allen had a verbal altercation after the Monday night loss to the New York Jets to kick off the 2023 season that seemed to put a permanent splinter in their relationship.
With that in mind, going to a culture like New England with a head coach in Mike Vrabel, who seems a lot more assertive than McDermott, feels like it could be a good fit. Especially if the Patriots add another receiver to take some of the pressure off of him.
