Coming off a second 4-13 season, the New England Patriots certainly needed a little help to try and take a step forward heading into 2025, both from a culture and talent standpoint.
Given some of the inconsistent messaging and overall coaching last season, ownership clearly felt that there needed to be an improvement from a leadership standpoint. That led to the dismissal of Jerod Mayo barely an hour after New England’s finale against Buffalo wrapped up, and the addition of Mike Vrabel and this current coaching staff.
With the staff in place, New England has worked on improving the roster this offseason and finally got Drake Maye a significant weapon in Stefon Diggs after the two sides agreed on a contract last week.
In Diggs, they gain a player who brings some fire and intensity to their locker room, along with plenty of experience. Former receiver Julian Edelman talked about the addition with Colin Cowherd recently, and he believes that Diggs will be just what that receiver room needs heading into this season.
“What you do get with Stefon Diggs is you get a professional. You ask anyone around town, anyone around the league. The guy works hard and he to run every route, and he’s a professional when he’s in the building. Yes, there’s antics, but number two, I like Mike Vrabel dealing with those antics because he dealt with A.J. Brown. He knows how to deal with a big-time receiver.”
“We didn’t hear anything out of A.J. Brown. He’s a very alpha type of guy that’s played in the league that can communicate with these guys. Then number three, he’s pissed off at the Bills still. Why wouldn’t you want a little fire in a room, the receiver room for the New England, that hasn’t performed in years, why wouldn’t you want a little fire in there?”
Edelman also went on to add that whatever antics Diggs may exhibit, one key difference is that Vrabel isn’t going to let that go and is the right coach to manage him. Another thing that really hasn’t been discussed is the fact Josh McDaniels has dealt with players like Randy Moss and he’s certainly used to guys with an ego, and he’s an experienced enough coordinator to be able to also play a factor in keeping guys like that in check.
But in the meantime, Edelman pointed out that one key factor is that Diggs will raise the level of the guys in that receiver room while adding some additional motivation for his teammates on game day. He’ll also give Maye a weapon he was sorely lacking last year, and having matured in Houston in a lesser role in 2024, Diggs should be exactly what the Patriots need this season.
“That’s what Stefon Diggs is going to bring,” said Edelman in terms of Diggs’ intensity. “He’s going to bring some urgency, which that room needs. He’s going to bring some motivation. Yes, there’s going to be some other stuff, but I trust that Mike Vrabel will take care of that.”
“Yes, he’s got a young quarterback in Drake Maye, but we saw last year how Stefon Diggs was with Stroud. He was a different guy than he was with Allen. He understood, he matured a little bit over the year, he evolved his game and his attitude, and I expect them to do the same thing in here.”
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
