Amid wave after wave of a relentless pass rush, Drake Maye forgot about his WR1.
The Patriots’ second-year quarterback admitted he wished he would have involved Stefon Diggs more during Sunday’s 29-13 loss to the Seahawks in Super Bowl 2026.
Diggs finished with three catches for 37 yards on just three targets, with Maye only looking his way on 7.3 percent of his 41 passes.
“Diggs, I wish I probably would have given him more chances in the game,” Maye told reporters Tuesday. “I know he probably thinks the same way. He’s been great for us this year, I can’t enough about what he’s done for us and what he’s done for the team and what he’s proved to himself.
Diggs and Maye developed a strong bond throughout the season, and the two particularly settled into a nice groove at the end of the year.
A nine-catch, 138-yard performance in a Week 16 victory over the Ravens helped the Patriots claim the AFC East title, and Diggs followed with a six-catch, 101-yard, one-touchdown showing against the Jets.
Diggs finished the year with 85 catches for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns in his return from a torn ACL, with the 1,000-yard campaign a nice feather in the hat.
That regular-season success, though, did not translate to the postseason, with Diggs tallying 16, 40, 17 and 37 yards in the four games, respectively.
He finished with 14 catches for 110 yards and one touchdown in the postseason.
In Sunday’s game, Diggs had one 26-yard catch but otherwise did not leave his mark on the game.
“We struggled,” Diggs said after the game Sunday. “Always some plays we wanted back, we didn’t play our best. Got to take it on the chin.”
He later added: “Coming from my standpoint, I wish I could have given (Maye) more.”
Maye instead looked to Mack Hollins (eight targets) and DeMario Douglas (seven targets), with even running back Rhamondre Stevenson getting five looks.
Diggs, 32, signed a three-year, $63.5 million season with the Patriots prior to the 2025 season, and the two have a chance to build off this success, even if this campaign ended with a dud.
“He’s got a lot of juice left in the tank,” Maye said. “He told me the other day he has a chance to really work on his craft in the offseason, he really didn’t have a chance last offseason and got a chance to get back working and just trying to get whatever’s left in his body, I know there’s some and I’m looking forward to getting a chance to hopefully throw him some more passes and watch (him) go.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
