FOXBORO — Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs is looking forward to handing out some hugs when it gets to Buffalo this weekend.
This will be Diggs’ first time back in Buffalo to play the Bills since he was traded to the Houston Texans during the 2024 offseason. Diggs was traded along with fifth- and sixth-round picks by the Bills to the Texans for a second-round pick.
“Obviously, a little sentimental. I spent a lot of time there. Loved that area,” Diggs said. “I’m familiar with the guys there, the guys that I did maintain a relationship with. I’m looking forward to seeing them, but it’s gonna be a little bit emotional. Try to keep the main thing the main thing, but it’s my first time back there. It’s going to be a helluva atmosphere. Was a part of that for a long time. I played there before I got there, so I’m excited. … Football means a lot to me and the guys that I spend with a lot of time with over there, I’m going to give them a big hug.”
The four-time Pro Bowl selection was asked Wednesday if it was difficult for him to leave Buffalo at the time or if he wanted a fresh start away from the Bills.
Diggs, who signed a three-year, $63.5 million deal with the Patriots in free agency this offseason, didn’t provide a straight answer.
“It’s the nature of the business. I guess. Obviously, it was hard for me. It was a difficult time. Obviously, I spent so much time there, I built a lot of bonds, a lot of friendships, so it’s obviously gonna be hard and emotional. I look forward to going back seeing those guys.
“It’s just a nature of the business. I’m not in control of nothing. I get open, I catch the ball. But as far as the internal stuff, obviously I miss those guys over there. You spend a lot of time with people becomes more personal rather than just professional. So when I say it’s the nature of the business, that’s how it goes.”
Diggs is expecting a “hostile environment” in Buffalo, and he’s preparing his teammates for the crowd noise as best as he can.
He said that “staying in the green” and “not “getting behind the eight (ball)” is a way to combat the crowd noise. The Patriots have had difficulty consistently starting fast, so that will need to change this week.
“It’s another test for us. I feel like we’ve had multiple tests throughout this season. Some of them we answer. Some of them we didn’t,” Diggs said. “We’re gonna do everything in our power to go in there with the right mindset. And I’ve been there for a while, so I’m trying to give them everything, at least a little bit that might help.”
The 31-year-old wide receiver had a remarkable return from a torn ACL suffered in late October, avoiding the PUP list and being fully ready for the start of the season.
He began the season a little bit slow before having a season-best six-catch, 101-yard performance in Week 4 against the Panthers.
He said he hasn’t taken any caution with his knee over the first four weeks of the season.
“For me, no. I’m not scared at all,” Diggs said. “For me, I trust that I put the time in. I trust that my rehab process with Dr. Rif (Sharif Tabbah) and even with the team, and how he kind of managed camp. Everybody wasn’t too happy about camp, but how they managed me in camp, knowing that I needed a short leash. If you gave me too much leash, I was just gonna run myself in the ground.
“But for me, I feel like I’m in a good spot. I try not to talk about injuries too much, but cut on the tape, I look halfway decent.”
Diggs said Sunday that he felt like he was able to turn a corner in Week 4 against the Panthers. For two weeks, quarterback Drake Maye said he had been telling Diggs that he was going to try to target him more. He did, and it worked out for the Patriots and for Diggs.
The veteran wideout expects his return to Buffalo to be a major storyline this week. But he also understands it.
“It is a huge thing for me,” Diggs said. “I got a lot of respect and I got a lot of love for that city and that fan base and even the players over there.”
The Patriots had opportunities to add other wide receivers over the last two years but waited it out and signed Diggs in late March.
Through four games, Diggs is outperforming a lot of those wide receivers who were free agents or involved in trade rumors like Terry McLaurin, Calvin Ridley, Tee Higgins, Chris Godwin and Brandon Aiyuk. Godwin and Aiyuk also suffered injuries last season, and Diggs recovered faster than both players.
With his return to Buffalo coming on primetime television, all eyes will be on Diggs this Sunday night.