FOXBORO — The narrative around Stefon Diggs has changed this season, but the Patriots wide receiver contends that he hasn’t.
Diggs has been praised since signing with the Patriots in March for his leadership and selflessness. That wasn’t necessarily the reputation he carried during past stops with the Vikings and Bills, with both tenures ending in trades.
“I don’t think people change, bro,” Diggs told the Herald. “I’ve been the same way. It’s more about how it’s being received. People don’t change overnight. And it don’t take one season for somebody to have a different outlook about them. I’ve been the same guy since I got in the league. Perception is what you hear about someone. That doesn’t mean you know them.”
Diggs caught 85 passes for 1,013 yards with four touchdowns during the regular season. Even in stretches when he was barely targeted and producing less than 30 yards, Diggs never had a sideline outburst. He never lobbied for more targets or catches to the media, instead lauding his teammates and the Patriots’ overall offensive weapons.
So, why was that the narrative around Diggs?
“It’s all about what people hear, what people see on the internet,” Diggs said. “People don’t got their own opinions from their own experiences if (they’ve never) met somebody. I just feel like I didn’t turn 32 and become a new person. That’s not how it works in this league. I’ve been in the league, got multiple contracts. I haven’t changed. I didn’t wait to turn 32 to change my whole life. I’ve been the same. It’s all about how you’re being received by people.
“The truth is about what you hear and what you see and what you read. Until people have their own personal encounter with you is when they change their opinion, because at this point now, everybody’s saying it’s something — singing a different tune. Nobody ever said I was a bad teammate. The stuff that people said about me, they didn’t even know me to say it. A lot of people are just glad that they’re wrong about me. It says more about them than me.”
Diggs said he knows that any narrative about him being selfish or a bad teammate is coming from people who don’t know him, “Because the people who know me don’t say those things. Not to my face, at least.”
The team publicly supported Diggs after allegations came to light last week of a felony charge of strangulation and a misdemeanor charge of assault from an alleged incident last month. The team said Diggs “categorically denies the allegations.” Diggs’ arraignment is scheduled for January 23, two days before the AFC Championship Game.
Head coach Mike Vrabel praised Diggs after the Patriots’ season finale for the veteran wide receiver’s consistency, saying he sits in the front row during meetings, pays attention, brings energy and has been “fantastic.”
Quarterback Drake Maye added: “Some games he’s not getting the ball as much as any receiver would want to, and he’s still trying to block hard and keeps the energy up and breaking the team down and motivating me. I think he’s meant the world to me, and I appreciate every time I go out there with him and a player like him. I just don’t take that for granted. Looking forward to seeing him in playoff football.”
The team has a decision to make on Diggs’ contract, depending on what else comes to light from that arraignment, after the season. He signed a three-year, $63.5 million contract last March. He’s due to earn a $20.6 million base salary in 2026, $1.7M of which is fully guaranteed. Another $6 million of his 2026 salary becomes guaranteed on March 13.
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