New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs is a week away from playing for the Vince Lombardi Trophy, lining up with an MVP-caliber quarterback in Drake Maye. His career has found new life in New England. Still, when Diggs talks football, his thoughts drift back to Buffalo. And he has a message for Bills Mafia about their quarterback.

“Keep hanging your head on that quarterback,” Diggs said about Josh Allen. “That quarterback is a Hall of Famer.”

Diggs understands where he stands in Buffalo now. He knows the distance, and he knows the relationship with the fan base isn’t what it once was. But he didn’t shy away from saying the feelings never really went away.

“I love y’all, I know I’m far gone, but I do miss you, I have a great relationship with y’all,” Diggs said. “Parts of me wish things were different because I do got a lot of love and respect for that team… I know they’re not huge fans of me at this point, but… I got a lot of love and respect for that organization and that fan base.”

Whether he misses the city or the uniform is up for debate. What’s harder to argue is that he misses Josh Allen. That connection defined the best stretch of Diggs’ career. When he arrived from the Minnesota Vikings in 2020, the Bills’ offense changed overnight. In his first season, Diggs led the league with 127 receptions.

He followed that up with four straight 1,000-yard seasons catching passes from Allen. During that same span, Allen regularly crossed the 4,000-yard mark himself. Together, they were one of the league’s most reliable and dangerous quarterback-receiver pairings.

That chapter ended in 2024, when Diggs was traded to the Houston Texans. A year later, he landed in New England. Now he’s headed to the Super Bowl, while the Buffalo Bills are once again watching from home.

Diggs isn’t wrong about Allen’s talent. On ability alone, he looks every bit like an MVP quarterback. But history has a way of keeping score differently. Team success still weighs heavily in how careers are remembered. Without a Super Bowl, even the best resumes can invite debate.

That debate over Allen’s legacy is sharpened by the fact that Diggs’ new quarterback, Drake Maye, already has a chance to win the ring that has eluded Allen.

Stefon Diggs draws a Josh Allen-Drake Maye parallel

During the offseason, the comparisons between Drake Maye and Josh Allen felt ambitious to a lot of people. Now, with Maye’s trajectory becoming harder to ignore, those comparisons don’t sound quite as far-fetched. And Stefon Diggs understands exactly why they were made in the first place.

Diggs watched Allen grow up in the league. He caught passes from him during the rough early years, when the talent was obvious, but the polish wasn’t there yet. But he did see the work behind the scenes. That’s why Maye’s development has caught his attention.

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“His maturation process has been second to none in my eyes,” Diggs said about Maye. “As far as the MVP conversation, that guy (Allen) on the other side of the ball we’re about to play against [Josh Allen] is a hell of a player. I believe that the team goes through him. And at this point, I like our guy.”

The early numbers line up more than people might realize. As a rookie, Maye threw for 2,276 yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Allen, in his first season, finished with 2,074 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 12 picks. Allen didn’t cross the 4,000-yard mark until his third year. Maye did it in his second.

They’re similar in the ways that matter most. Both can drive the ball downfield. Both can move when things break down. Both make defenses account for more than just their arms. And this wasn’t the first time Diggs has leaned into that comparison.

“I’m excited,” Diggs said when asked about working with Maye. “I really look forward to it. It’s crazy because when you ask around, he has a lot of similarities—well, people say—that he acts a lot like Josh. That was my guy, so I look forward to meeting him and connecting with him.”

The paths aren’t identical, and they don’t have to be. But with a Super Bowl looming, the next chapter could end up separating them in a very real way once February 8 arrives.