Patriots HC Mike Vrabel addresses uncertain future of Stefon Diggs

Shortly after the New England Patriots fell to the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX, veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs acknowledged that he may not have a say in whether or not he returns to spend a second season with the Patriots. 

While speaking with reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine on Wednesday, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was asked how "he views" Diggs' future with the club. 

Stefon Diggs was "a really good presence" for Patriots amid Super Bowl run

"Well, I mean, not only his future, but what he was able to do for us and come in and provide leadership," Vrabel said about Diggs, per the Patriots' website and Khari A. Thompson of Boston.com. "He worked extremely hard in the time that he was rehabbing from the knee. I think he was just a really good presence each and every week. So, as we look to evaluate the football team, we’re doing that constantly..."

Vrabel was referencing how Diggs played in just eight regular-season games with the Houston Texans in 2024 before he suffered a torn ACL. According to ESPN stats, Diggs led the Patriots for this past regular season with 85 receptions, 102 targets and 1,013 receiving yards. Over 17 games, he recorded four touchdown catches. 

That said, Mark Daniels of MassLive previously noted that Diggs' base salary of $20.6M isn’t fully guaranteed. Additionally, it was learned in late December that Diggs was facing charges of felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery stemming from an alleged incident said to have occurred on Dec. 2. According to Thompson, a pretrial hearing related to that matter is scheduled for April 1.

On Wednesday, Vrabel was asked if Diggs' off-the-field situation could impact how the team handles the 32-year-old's status. 

Patriots willing "to let the legal process run its course" regarding Stefon Diggs?

"We’re going to let the legal process run its course, just like we’ve said before," Vrabel responded. "Those players, whether that’s Stefon or anybody else that has something, have done exactly what they’re supposed to do, been where they’re supposed to be, communicated with the court when they’re supposed to communicate with them. So, we’re going to let all that take care of itself, and then we’ll have to see what the judgments are in those particular cases." 

Vrabel voiced support for Diggs on multiple occasions before the Patriots won a single playoff game en route to completing a trip to the Super Bowl. However, New England has more recently been linked with Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown, who may want a fresh start with a different team and who had Vrabel as a head coach with the Tennessee Titans from the 2019 NFL Draft up until the Titans traded Brown to Philadelphia in April 2022. One wonders if Vrabel could view Brown as an upgrade over Diggs ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.