FOXBOROUGH – The Patriots’ decision to sign Stefon Diggs came with some risk.
The veteran receiver, who will turn 32 this month, suffered a torn ACL in the middle of last season. That type of injury to a receiver over 30 was once considered career-threatening.
Despite the risk, the Patriots brought Diggs to Gillette Stadium for a free agent visit in March. After his physical results were positive, they signed him to a 3-year, $69 million contract.
With Diggs, there was hope that he would give the Patriots the No. 1 receiver they’ve been looking for. Still, after seeing him play on Thursday night in the team’s win over the New York Jets, it’s safe to say Diggs has still surpassed all expectations.
Diggs led the Patriots with nine catches on 11 targets for 105 yards. This marked the third 100-yard game of his season - and the 39th 100-yard game of his NFL career.
“I wouldn’t say it means a more. Just getting back to rare form and getting to where I want to be physically and mentally,” Diggs said. “I’m just thankful to be around, man. We got a lot of weapons on offense. So, when I get to make some plays out there – I left one out there, it was a flat, but we still left one out there. Just getting opportunities and wanting to be myself and be another pillar on this team.
“I feel like just taking advantage of my opportunities are going to be key because you never know when you’ll get them. We’ve got a lot of players on the team.”
Out of all of them, Diggs has stood the tallest. The four-time Pro Bowler leads the Patriots in receptions (59) and receiving yards (659). He’s on pace for the sixth 1,000-yard season of his career.
The Patriots haven’t had a 1,000-yard receiver since Julian Edelman in 2019.
Diggs has also proven to be a reliable target for Drake Maye. In the third quarter, Maye hit Diggs for back-to-back gains of 21 and 18 yards. Two plays later, TreVeyon Henderson had his third touchdown.
“That trust was built up probably when I was in middle school, when he was playing in the league. It was long ago,” Maye said of Diggs. “Guys like him and Hunter (Henry) and Mack (Hollins), you trust those guys for what they’ve done in this league. I just try to give them chances, and you know, Stef, and you break a couple of tackles and get in the end zone, but those guys were great for us tonight.”
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