Stefon Diggs responds to a question during his introductory press conference about the many comparisons between Drake Maye and Josh Allen early on in his career
It took less than two minutes at Stefon Diggs' introductory press conference Friday for the newest New England Patriots wide receiver to make the inevitable Drake Maye-Josh Allen comparison.
"I'm excited. I really look forward to it," Diggs said when asked about working with Maye. "It's crazy because when you ask around, he has a lot of similarities -- well, people say through the grapevine that he acts a lot like Josh. That was my guy, so I look forward to meeting him and connecting with him."
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Diggs, of course, is well-versed on this subject. After a 2020 trade that sent him from Minnesota to Buffalo, Diggs played the best football of his career alongside Allen, racking up 5,372 yards over four seasons with the Bills that resulted in four straight Pro Bowls.
Diggs' presence also helped Allen blossom from a raw, turnover-happy QB to one of the NFL's best passers. In his first season with Diggs in 2020 -- his third NFL campaign -- Allen racked up 4,544 passing yards and 45 total touchdowns (37 passing, eight rushing), a massive leap from his 3,089 passing yards and 29 total TDs (20 passing, nine rushing) in 2019.
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The Bills went 48-18 during the Allen-Diggs era, with Allen averaging 4,385 passing yards per season and Diggs averaging 1,343 receiving yards over that four-year stretch.
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Diggs isn't necessarily the player he was in Buffalo, especially after a torn ACL in Week 8 ended his 2024 season with the Houston Texans. But one can understand why Patriots fans are optimistic that Diggs can have a similar effect on Maye in New England.
"I've been doing this 10 and a half years," Diggs added. "... I've played with a lot of quarterbacks, I've been around a lot of quarterbacks. So, learning the quarterback, getting to know him, spending more time with him -- once you know somebody on a more personal level, I feel like there's a lot of carryover to the field, whether that's risk-takers, like to play aggressive, like to play smart, and just honing in on what he's good at."
Diggs admitted he hasn't interacted much with Maye since agreeing to a three-year, $69 million contract with the Patriots earlier this week. But the 31-year-old wideout got a first-hand look at the young QB last season -- Maye made his first NFL start against Diggs' Texans in Week 6 -- and liked what he saw.
"We played him last year. He showed a lot of fight," Diggs said of Maye. "He's got that fiery quarterback, 'I want to win' mindset, so that's something I get excited about and love to be around."
Considering the supporting cast Maye dealt with last season --- DeMario Douglas led all Patriots receivers with 621 yards, which ranked 61st in the NFL -- Diggs absolutely should give the young QB a boost. Expectations should be managed, however, as Diggs is still recovering from his torn ACL and was more of a No. 2 to Nico Collins in Houston last season.
In fact, Diggs suggested he'll be more hands-off when it comes to imparting wisdom on Maye.
"As far as his development as a quarterback, I feel like that's not really too much of my job," Diggs added. "My job is to get open and catch the ball. So, I just look forward to getting back out there and being one of the weapons for him."
If Diggs can help Maye get anywhere close to the numbers Allen put up in Buffalo, though, that'd be a significant win for the Patriots.
