In his final six games for the Texans, Stefon Diggs averaged just 11.5 receiving yards per game. A steep fall for a receiver who once held the NFL record for catches (127 catches in 2020). The decline was on the scoreboard but also showed up in his dwindling presence on the field and in the locker room. For a Texans team running in C.J. Stroud, Diggs was an afterthought by season’s end. So when New England bet on the wide receiver this off-season, the message was gotten across: it wasn’t just about yards, it was about trust, guidance, and getting on board with a new culture. And already in his first couple of weeks in Foxborough, that trust is being tested.

Popping up on Up & Adams with Kay Adams on July 31, 2025, Stefon Diggs nonchalantly broke the news that he bowed out early from a team-building trip. One specifically designed to acclimate quarterback Drake Maye to the offensive core. “Well, I actually skipped the water activities,” Diggs replied when questioned on the Carolinas’ off-field training. “I went home early. So you know, not to fond of water. I was there both of the first two days but I ended up having to go back, spend some time with the kids.”

The comment sounded flippant, but inside the facility, the loss was being missed. The trip was more than a break, though, per sources on the team. It was an element of a reasoned culture-building movement spearheaded by Maye, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, and key offensive veterans. Stefon Diggs’ early departure struck the wrong chord. Especially when placed in perspective with his previous record of abrupt departures from leaving Bills practices in 2023 to sliding out of Houston’s playoff bid a couple of months ago.

New England, of course, has seen its share of dealing with divisive personalities. But Diggs’ hasty departure from a rookie-led group-bonding activity brings familiar questions to mind. For Maye, who has received praise throughout the offseason for his work ethic and leadership acumen, these early reps, both on the field and from a relationship standpoint, are most important. Wide receivers, especially high-profile wideouts, don’t just catch passes. They set the tone in the locker rooms. If one of them decides to opt out of something designed to create that chemistry, it only serves to send a message.

To be blunt, this is not unfamiliar territory for Diggs. He’s operated in turmoil his whole career, dropping in Buffalo after there was upheaval in Minnesota, and racking up All-Pro numbers before it all unraveled with the Bills. And in New England, he’s doing another reboot, with another budding young quarterback, and another test of his own capacity to transition from playmaker to pillar. The Patriots suggested they weren’t signing the 2020 iteration of Diggs; they were banking on the 2024 veteran incarnation to help guide the formation of a team that was desperately trying to rebrand itself.

Stevon Diggs is finding his voice?

Despite the questionable optics of the bonding process, Stefon Diggs seems to be getting his footing inside the Patriots’ facility and in his own way, finding a leadership voice. When he talked to Kay Adams, he grinned while talking about the young players on the squad. “It’s fun. I mean, I feel like hanging out around these guys—you know, Pop, Bake, and Poke— I nickname them all,” he said. “You’re only a friend when you have a nickname.”

That sincerity tinged with humor is classic Diggs, but it also indicates effort. He’s trying to connect. And by all indications, early on, the locker room is listening. “As far as like—they leaning on me, they trust me,” Diggs said. “I can show them something out in the field, they go apply it. It works.” It can’t hurt that the room full of players he’s training does seem to be particularly dug in. “Those young guys, they came at it the right way,” Diggs went on, talking about how it’s a great group to be around and have that level of understanding among each other.

Perhaps, there was frustration in Buffalo when he did not feel like he was being heard. There was silence in Houston until his impact had faded. But here in Foxborough, things are different. There are clearer stakes. There is a younger quarterback room. And for the first time, Diggs can be the definitive veteran voice in the receiver room. “I think one word for this group would be… H-A-F,” Diggs joked, laughing. “Nah, I’d say diligent.” Diligent might just be the right word for his current mindset, too. He knows what’s at stake. He’s aware of the noise that’s always followed him. And this time, he seems intent on staying ahead of it. Assuming he doesn’t walk away from more than just jet skis.

For now, the Patriots are content to allow Diggs to be Diggs. If only the production continues on track and the leadership holds. But margins are thin in Foxborough. Each decision, each misstep, and each adjustment in attitude is magnified. Diggs may have flunked the waves in Carolina, but in Foxborough, the tide is still his to turn.