There’s a long list of people who deserve credit for the New England Patriots’ complete turnaround in 2025. Buried deep on the casual fans’ list is wide receivers coach Todd Downing, who does most of his work out of the spotlight.
Downing has been on NFL staffs since 2001, working his way up the system the old-fashioned way. He made several stops on the way to becoming Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel’s offensive coordinator with the Tennessee Titans in 2021 and 2022.
Wide receiver Stefon Diggs says Downing is one of the reasons he chose to come to Foxboro in free agency.
“He’s part of the reason that I came here,” Diggs said, as reported by Khari A. Thompson of Boston com. “I said the conglomerate of people, he’s definitely one of the main people. We had multiple conversations, especially when I first got here on my visit and I trusted him.
“I don’t trust many people. I believed him.”
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Downing was asked about Diggs’ quote and shared an anecdote from his time spent with a former Patriot legend.
“I was a young quality control coach with the Minnesota Vikings way back in the day and I remember Randy Moss saying, ‘If you tell a player a lie, and he knows it, he won’t trust you and he won’t listen to you.’” Downing said. “I remember taking that to heart…”
Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner saw Downing’s quote and took to his X profile to share praises for the New England coach.
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“I like this… Coach with the truth in a way that encourages or helps your players!” Warner posted. “We all want to be around ppl who simply tell the truth in every situation, aren’t afraid to coach us, critique us (not attack us) and help us improve, but that comes with trust that they know what they are talking about and aren’t afraid to attack one of our problems (bc we know we have those as well)!”
