The Buffalo Bills have a familiar face joining a divisional rival this season, as Stefon Diggs is a New England Patriot after signing with the team in free agency. The 31-year-old wideout is coming off an ACL tear suffered last season playing for the Houston Texans and rejoins the AFC East having spent 2019-2023 with the Bills.
Diggs was a favored target of Josh Allen for those seasons, racking up over 100 catches and 1,000 yards in each of his seasons catching passes from the 2024 league MVP. He will now try to work the same magic with Drake Maye, a young quarterback with huge potential.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Allen went in-depth on what Diggs brings to the table for Maye, who Allen calls one of his favorite young quarterbacks.
"I think he brings a lot of security for Drake," Allen told SI. "Obviously, having the knowledge of playing in the league for so long, he has that veteran mentorship that he can give to Drake. I think Drake is super talented, he’s one of my favorite young quarterbacks in the league. I've spent some time around him and he's got his head on his shoulders the right way. He just does things the right way. I think that he exemplifies football. He'll take it and run, he'll throw it and to have someone like Stefon is going to help him out a lot."
In his first NFL campaign Maye threw for 2,276 yards and 15 touchdowns with 10 interceptions in 12 starts. He added 421 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. But the Patriots did not have a strong roster around him, especially at wideout, and New England went 3-9 with Maye under center, finishing the season at 4-13.
The Pats signed Diggs despite his knee injury in hopes he could do what he did for Allen— provide a consistent target for an inexperienced signal-caller. Allen clearly believes Diggs is capable of filling that role.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Josh Allen Details How Former Bills Teammate Stefon Diggs Can Help Drake Maye.