The New England Patriots’ offense last season did not grow from their 2023 campaign’s 20th-ranked O-line. Although they soon realized the QB competition had ended and gave the keys to rookie Drake Maye, loopholes in their receiving game still failed them. They ended their season with a league-worst 176.2 yards/ game for 18 TDs, and a second-worst 17 points. They got pummeled 52 times in 17 games. So, when Mike Vrabel was brought in as the new head coach, the writing on the wall was clear– get Maye some support. Enter, Stefon Diggs.

Vrabel knew the receiver position needed a proven player. Who better than the four-time Pro Bowler who has posted six consecutive years of over 1000 yards? Even before he was sidelined after his ACL surgery in October last year, he was on a path to 1000 yards. Although a big bet, Vrabel believed he would return by Week 1, and gave him a $69 million/3-year offer. The only problem now is that, as the team steps into a preseason clash with the Minnesota Vikings, Diggs has not been the same.

In early camp, Diggs reclaimed his worth as the best wideout on the team. In 1-on-1s and 7-on-7s, he impressed everyone. But in full team 11-on-11 drills, he’s been an afterthought. And so, Mass Live Sports tweeted, “Stefon Diggs has gone without a catch in team periods during several recent practices.”

In 4 of 5 team practices, he’s had no catches to show. Wednesday brought a small reprieve with three catches, but it wasn’t enough to shift the narrative. For a player who was paid to be Drake Maye’s primary security blanket, he is also showing an inability to separate from defenders and get open. However, Vrabel cleared the air on Thursday.

“There’s days where the ball doesn’t find you. There’s one football. There’s five eligible receivers. The quarterback decides where he wants to go with the ball. No different than Kyle Williams. Kyle Williams is working extremely hard. Ball hasn’t really found him. He’s been open. There’s been separation,” said the head coach on rumors about his skills to get the ball. Wide receivers coach Todd Downing also had the same to say last week.

In Thursday’s individual practices, he had several receptions. In 2-on-2 and 5-on-5 sessions, he impressed, making tough TD catches look easy. However, in full-team drills, he wasn’t even targeted. That’s exactly the opposite of what the Patriots want right now. He either needs to be a reliable target himself or catch enough attention from the opposing defenders to get the others open for Maye.

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 continues, the practice struggles were hard to ignore in the Patriots. Last week, Diggs showed up late to their joint practice with the Commanders and was later kept out of their game. 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.”

However, who’s to say if he was simply pulling everyone’s legs or was actually serious? Let’s just say those words didn’t land well. Vrabel, already fielding questions about the star’s effectiveness, was asked directly about the chances of Stefon Diggs missing the opener. His response? “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?”

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 banter 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, intending 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.