Patriots
“If Mike [Vrabel] thinks he is lying to him I just wouldn’t doubt Mike having the stomach to cut him.”
Everything is on the table for the Patriots in terms of disciplining wide receiver Stefon Diggs, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
A video of Diggs handing an unidentified substance to women during a boat party went viral. The Patriots will handle the matter internally, coach Mike Vrabel said earlier this week.
Diggs just signed a three-year deal with the Patriots worth up to $69 million during the offseason, and the Patriots need a receiver of his caliber.
But, cutting Diggs before he even plays a game for New England might not be out of the question. It depends on how Diggs explains the situation and whether or not the Patriots believe him, according to Breer.
“The point is, they’re trying to establish a culture and the way you do things, and this sort of thing can undermine all of that,” Breer said during a recent appearance on 98.5 the Sports Hub. “So, that’s what they have to weigh right now. If [Diggs] falls on the sword and does everything right, then fine.”
“But, if Mike [Vrabel] thinks he is lying to him I just wouldn’t doubt Mike having the stomach to cut him. And the thing is, if you’re going to cut him then you kind of have to do it right away.”
Waiting too long to decide on Diggs would make it harder to go after the guaranteed money in his contract, Breer said.
“If you’re going to say you’re firing me for cause, but you waited three weeks to do it, you’re not going to win that case,” Breer said. “So, if you’re going to go after the $12 million signing bonus that he got, then they have to cut him right away which I think is part of why if you ask him to stay out of practice that’s why you would do it.
“You would do it because we’re considering all of our options and we don’t want to put you on a practice field until we’ve made a final decision of what we’re going to do.”
Diggs, who is rehabbing from a torn ACL that ended his season last October, was not at the team’s optional OTA practice on Wednesday. The team has four more optional practices scheduled before the start of mandatory minicamp on June 6th.
Vrabel emphasized the importance of making good decisions when asked about the video at practice on Wednesday.
Breer said it’s not a “great” chance that the Patriots end up cutting Diggs, but noted that Vrabel’s personality and experience as a former player could be a factor in the decision.
“Mike was a player and has been around NFL locker rooms for almost 30 years now. I think he’s probably got a pretty good sense if somebody is coming in and lying to him. It’s just like how credible is whatever Stefon Diggs says to him is … if there’s some sort of excuse making or something that’s not believable that he’s trying to present, that’s where I think it’s like ‘we can’t trust him.’”
Diggs, 31, is on his third team in three years. The Bills traded him to Houston in April of 2024, and he signed with New England last March. His stint with the Bills lasted four seasons and he spent the first five seasons of his career with the Vikings.
Diggs posted six consecutive 1,000-yard seasons from 2018 through 2023 and is a multi-time Pro Bowler. The Patriots, who are attempting to build around a young quarterback in Drake Maye, have been starved for offensive weapons. New England’s last 1,000-yard receiver was Julian Edelman six years ago.
The Patriots had the third-lowest scoring offense in the league last season at 17 points per game. None of their receivers topped 700 yards.
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