You know when you splurge on that must-have gadget everyone’s raving about, only to stash it in a drawer because it doesn’t quite perform as promised? That’s about where Patriots fans are right now with their $69 million man, Stefon Diggs. Free agency money was flying everywhere in 2025; the Vikings set an NFL record, spending over $245 million, and New England cracked open their vault after consecutive years of offensive misery.

Last season’s numbers? Not for the faint of heart. New England finished with the league’s worst passing attack (176.2 yards per game) and barely 17 points a week. Their quarterbacks were pummeled for 52 sacks. With tight end Hunter Henry topping the team in receiving yards, it’s no wonder. The front office set its sights on a proven weapon. Enter Stefon Diggs, the four-time Pro Bowler with a habit of delivering 1,000-yard seasons, expected to change everything.

But here’s where things get dicey. Mass Live Sports via X reported that “Stefon Diggs has gone without a catch in team periods during several recent practices.” In joint practices with the Vikings, ironically, in Stefon Diggs’ old stomping grounds, his presence faded during the drill periods that count.

Sure, he flashed brilliance in individual work, but when it came to full-team sessions, reporters from Mass Live also noted, “he didn’t register a catch during 4-of-the-last-5 instances he was involved in team drills.” On top of that, whispers started floating about his inability to separate from defenders and get open. For a guy paid to be Drake Maye’s primary security blanket, that’s a red flag.

To be fair, the coaches have tried to pump the brakes in panic. Wide receivers coach Todd Downing shared, “If there were days Diggs didn’t have a lot of production, that didn’t necessarily mean the receiver wasn’t getting open.” Diggs arrived in New England after an ACL tear cut short his stint with the Houston Texans — where he still managed 47 catches for 496 yards and three touchdowns in just eight games. Before that, he had six straight 1,000-yard seasons.

But based on his recent quiet spell, questions have surfaced. Has he suffered a setback? Is he unhappy with his touches? The numbers don’t lie — after shining early in camp, Diggs has faded from the offense. He’s still been sharp in 1-on-1 and 7-on-7 work, but in full team drills, he’s almost invisible. On Thursday (Aug. 14), he didn’t record a single catch during 11-on-11s, marking four out of the last five such sessions without a grab. Wednesday brought a small reprieve with three catches, but it wasn’t enough to shift the narrative.

Meanwhile, Mike Vrabel, never one to mince words, insisted Stefon Diggs works hard: “There are other ways to be successful and do your job and help us win… That’s the most important thing.” Yet, as the preseason ground on, the practice struggles were hard to ignore in the Patriots. And soon enough, things tipped from concern to controversy.

Stefon Diggs’ ongoing public dispute with Mike Vrabel

The real fireworks started not on the field, but in the podcast studio. Stefon Diggs, appearing on Diana Russini’s “Scoop City,” got oddly noncommittal about playing in Week 1: “I feel great… I’m pushing the needle always… We’ll see about Week 1… Coaches aren’t too excited. I’m not too excited. I’m just trying to take it day by day. So we’ll see. It looks like we just don’t know where it’s gonna go.”

Let’s just say that didn’t land great. Vrabel, already fielding questions about the star’s effectiveness, was asked directly if he truly thought Stefon Diggs might miss the opener. His response? Pure Vrabel: “Did you believe that? I mean, you’re a smart guy…. Like, do you believe that … or are you just trying to bait me into saying something?” It was the kind of moment that lights up talk radio and X feeds.

Beneath the banter, you could sense the tension. Did lingering knee issues after last season’s ACL tear frustrate Stefon Diggs, or was he just unhappy with his touches? “It’s hard to know for certain,” wrote one beat reporter, noting, “there’s little disputing the fact that the star receiver, who was the team’s best wideout early in camp, has disappeared from the offense in recent days.”

Whatever the root cause, this public game of “he said, coach said” isn’t great news for a team depending on Diggs to not just pull his weight, but to lift a whole group of young receivers. If the star acquisition can’t get on the same page as his head coach, will the offense ever really click?

At the end of the day, the Patriots invested $69 million with one goal. It is to give a floundering offense a pulse. For now, it feels like everyone’s stuck in limbo, waiting to see which version of Stefon Diggs will show up when it matters. Is this just preseason jitters, or an early sign the big-money gamble might go bust? For Patriots fans, it’s fair to wonder, and maybe keep the receipt, just in case.