After missing the New England Patriots’ first five days of organized team activities, veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs showed up for Monday’s session at Gillette Stadium and participated in some drills.
Diggs’ appearance was noteworthy not just because veterans aren’t required to take part in OTAs, but because the four-time Pro Bowler recently went viral on social media due to a video of him enjoying himself on a boat with three bikini-clad women that included top-selling rapper Cardi B.
A portion of the video showed the 31-year-old Diggs holding a plastic bag filled with a pink substance. That led to speculation that Diggs, who signed a three-year, $69 million contract in March, could be on the outs with his new team and new Pats coach Mike Vrabel.
While Diggs did not entertain questions after catching passes from Patriots quarterback Drake Maye on Monday, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels did share thoughts with reporters.
“It’s a voluntary part of the year,” McDaniels said. “We know that. I don’t know if we’ve ever had perfect attendance at these things in general. As a coach, selfishly, you love it when they’re all here because you feel like you’ve got them all in the classroom and all on the field and all the rest of it.
“(Diggs is) here today and we’re excited to have an opportunity to work with the guys that are out here and available to us. So, I know he’s staying up on the information and the material. And there’s so many things and opportunities for us to teach all our guys going forward — between the rest of the practices here in the spring and then going into the summer and, you know, the many days we have before we actually kick the ball off in September. So I’m not concerned about Stef in that regard.
The Patriots have two more days of OTAs — Tuesday and Thursday — followed by mandatory minicamps June 9-11 before the team officially adjourns until training camp begins on July 24.
Diggs, who’s still recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered Oct. 27 in his final game for the Houston Texans, has amassed 857 receptions for 10,491 yards and 70 touchdowns during his 10-year career split among the Minnesota Vikings (2015-19), Buffalo Bills (2020-23) and Texans (2024).
–Field Level Media
