New England and head coach Mike Vrabel rolled the dice or pulled the slot arm on their star wide receiver, and that Stefon Diggs Patriots gamble was like hitting the jackpot. They know it, and so does he, except he feels like he is a winner too. After the Patriots’ 10-7 win over the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship game, Diggs got emotional while speaking to the NFL Network.
”I’m just proud of this team. You don’t know how hard this year has been, battling the injury and coming back. Being around the right group of guys. Great quarterback. Great OC. Great team. Great head coach… We’ve got one more.” -Stefon Diggs
A Good Problem To Have
Diggs wasn’t expected to be a star or even a regular contributor when the Minnesota Vikings selected him 146th overall out of Maryland in the 2015 NFL Draft. He played 13 games in his rookie season, starting nine of them. Teddy Bridgewater targeted the former Terrapin 84 times, and Diggs made the most of those, hauling in 52 receptions for 720 yards and 4 touchdowns.
2018 was Diggs’ breakout season. The team was relying on a quarterback with the first fully guaranteed contract, and Kirk Cousins relied heavily on his wide receiver. Diggs was targeted 149 times and brought in 102 catches for 1,021 yards and eight touchdowns. The following offseason, he was starting to become a problem for Minnesota in the locker room.
The Vikings granted Diggs’ wish for a trade, and in 2020, he was sent to the Buffalo Bills for a first-round pick that Minnesota used to select Justin Jefferson. Diggs quickly became the favorite target of Josh Allen, recording four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons (which made six in a row for him). His first season in Western New York, he led the NFL in targets (166), receptions (127), and yards (1,535).
Diggs eventually grew tired of Buffalo, as he did in Minnesota, and the Bills shipped the disgruntled receiver to the Houston Texans for a second, fourth, and fifth-round pick. He hauled in 47 catches on 64 targets before his season ended prematurely due to an ACL tear. The Texans chose not to re-sign Diggs, and the Patriots swooped in and grabbed him for three years and $69 million.
Stefon Diggs Patriots Season Was One Of His Best
Diggs came back strong from his injury and started all 17 games for New England in 2025. He led the team in targets (102), receptions (85), and receiving yards (1,013). He had 11 receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown in three playoff games, but it was when he hauled in the catches that made him invaluable. Any time the Patriots needed a first down or a touchdown, Diggs was ready, and his hands were sure.
Diggs is now headed to the Super Bowl for the first time in his 11-year career. There is no doubt that Drake Maye will look for him early and often, and when the odds are released in Vegas, he will be a top-five favorite to win Super Bowl MVP. This will be the last game of the honeymoon, so there’s no saying if things will sour in New England as they have at all of his previous stops, but for right now, it feels like the Patriots have won the lottery.
