Copyright MassLive
FOXBOROUGH – Two defining moments helped the Patriots and Drake Maye this offseason. Heading into this weekend’s matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it’s a good time to revisit how the Patriots nearly made a mistake this offseason. When NFL free agency opened in March, one of the Patriots’ top targets was wide receiver Chris Godwin. The veteran receiver turned down more money to stay in Tampa Bay and sign a 3-year, $66 million deal with the Buccaneers. At the time, Godwin’s agent told him he’d be turning down “generational money” to stay with the team that drafted him. However, the veteran and his wife didn’t want to leave Tampa Bay. “If I ended up going to New England, it would have been solely based off money because everything else was telling me to stay here,” Godwin told The Athletic. In hindsight, it’s one of the best things to happen to the Patriots this offseason. This year, Godwin has played in two games for the Buccaneers, catching 6 passes on 14 targets for 52 yards. He’s missed six games this season due to an ankle and fibula injury. Godwin is still not practicing as the Buccaneers prepare to take on the Patriots. The rejection from Godwin ultimately led the Patriots to one of their best decisions of the offseason – signing Stefon Diggs. This offseason, the veteran wanted to take his time in free agency. Diggs made a list of teams he would play for and wanted the dust to settle after the first wave of signings was over. The Patriots were on Diggs’ list, and he visited the team on March 19. Six days later, the Patriots signed him to a 3-year, $69 million contract. “In the offseason, I kind of waited as far as where I wanted to go and where I wanted to spend the rest of my career. This is somewhere I had in the forefront of my brain,” Diggs said. “Obviously, there’s a lot of guys out there that were coming off an injury, receiver-wise, so I just kind of waited it out and figured out what made sense for me and my family.” There’s always uncertainty when it comes to NFL free agency. The Patriots targeted Godwin, who had a season-ending ankle injury, because he was 29 years old and had four 1,000-yard performances in the last five seasons. There was a risk there due to his suffering a dislocated ankle. And now, he’s not playing for the Buccaneers on a big contract. Had the Patriots signed Godwin, they would be without a top-flight receiver for Maye. Although they ‘settled’ for Diggs, who is older at age 32 and coming off a season-ending knee injury, the veteran has proven to be the better bet. Diggs leads the Patriots in receptions (45), receiving yards (508), and has caught 84.9% of the targets thrown his way. He’s also taken on a leadership role in New England and helped Vrabel shape the culture he wants. “Well, I appreciate everything he does. I appreciate his leadership, his communication. He’s easy to talk to, I’ve said that before. Nothing’s forced,” Vrabel said. “He’s been in here a lot.” For the Patriots, the failed pursuit of No. 1 receivers has actually been a blessing in disguise. In 2024, the team had a trade worked out for All-Pro receiver Brandon Aiyuk. However, Aiyuk didn’t want to come to New England and turned down more money to stay in San Francisco, where he signed a 4-year, $120 million contract. Aiyuk suffered a torn ACL and MCL last season. He still hasn’t played this season. Before that, the Patriots were targeting receiver Calvin Ridley in free agency. The team was willing to extend itself with a competitive offer and make up any difference in taxes. However, Ridley didn’t want to come to New England, signing a 4-year, $92 million deal with Tennessee. He’s missed the last three games with a hamstring injury. Ridley’s caught 45.7% of his targets this year (16 of 35 for 290 yards). In the end, the Patriots should be grateful it worked out how it did. Diggs admitted he wasn’t completely sold on New England, either. However, it took one visit with Vrabel and his staff to change his mind. “Having a conversation with coach Vrabes that really helped a lot. And with coach Todd (Downing), he kind of warmed me up to the fact that it was a gloomy day in Foxborough when I came out here,” Diggs said. “Just came with the right mindset, and I went in with an open mind saying, ‘It’s going to be fun.’ “I felt like they had a good quarterback, a good OC, a hell of a head coach, so they had the recipe to be successful. Hopefully, I can be a small piece of something.” The Patriots are lucky it worked out the way it did.
