FOXBORO — On the first 11-on-11 rep of Patriots training camp 2025, quarterback Drake Maye took the snap, surveyed his options and hit his most accomplished pass-catcher on a crossing route.
Welcome back, Stefon Diggs.
Less than nine months removed from the ACL tear that ended his 2024 season, Diggs practiced without limitations Wednesday, leading New England’s wide receivers through individual and team drills.
“I’m super excited,” Diggs said after practice. “Obviously, we got a good weather day. There’s a lot to be excited about. I’m just happy to be back playing football. It’s been kind of a long offseason for me — eight months out — so I was eager to get back out there, get back around the guys, and it’s been pretty fun.”
Though Diggs was on the field during organized team activities and minicamp in the spring, it was unclear whether he would be fully cleared in time for camp. But when the Patriots reconvened after their summer break, Diggs was not placed on the physically unable to perform list. Head coach Mike Vrabel, when asked Tuesday about the veteran wideout’s status, said the Patriots were “encouraged by what (they) saw” from Diggs and “don’t see any limitations right now.”
Diggs caught both of his targets from Maye during Wednesday’s practice, which was non-padded and featured just two competitive periods.
“Everybody kind of said I came back pretty fast, but it was a different journey for me,” Diggs said. “I pushed it. I wanted to get back as fast as I could, and I just was super serious about my rehab process. I love football, and if you really love football, you’re putting that time in, getting injured is kind of part of the game. But getting back to playing football just makes me extremely happy.”
Diggs said he had no doubt he would pass his physical, which allowed him to earn his $12 million signing bonus. The 31-year-old signed a three-year, $63.5 million contract with the Patriots in March.
“I’d kind of been doing everything up to that point,” he said. “I’d been playing football, running routes. I feel like I’ve been doing it my whole life, so getting back to it, just back around the building, back around the guys, back around the coaches, first time seeing them in a while, so it was kind of like a welcome back.”
The Patriots hope Diggs can be the true No. 1 receiver the team has lacked for years. The former Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills star topped 1,000 receiving yards in each of his last six full seasons, and he was on pace for another 1,000-yard campaign with the Houston Texans last season before tearing his ACL in late October (47 catches, 496 yards, three touchdowns in eight games).
The last New England player to top 1,000 receiving yards was Julian Edelman in 2019. No Patriots pass-catcher topped 700 yards last season, with DeMario Douglas leading their wideouts with 621 on 66 receptions.
Diggs wouldn’t make any predictions about how he’ll fare in his first season with the franchise. For now, he said he’s focused on continuing to learn offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ offense and cleaning up some unspecified negative plays he made on Day 1 of camp.
“Right now, at this very moment, considering I’m coming off an injury, I’m just super excited to play football,” Diggs said. “But earning the respect of my teammates and my coaches, getting back out here, being the leader I know I am, that’s all I want to be right now. I’m going to take it day by day. A lot of people want to throw a lot of anticipation out there and be excited.
“You can’t get too excited. It’s Day 1. I just want to kind of conquer Day 1, get in there and watch the film. I wasn’t too happy with some things, so I kind of want to get out there and correct it and get back to playing football.”
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