When the New England Patriots signed wide receiver Stefon Diggs earlier this week, the immediate question was about his status for the start of the season. Diggs, 31, missed most of last season after he tore his ACL on Oct. 27.
Initial reporting from ESPN’s Adam Schefter suggested Diggs is “on track” to return for Week 1 of the 2025 season. That’s an ambitious timeline that would have Diggs back playing 10 months after the tear – and that’s not factoring in build-up and practice time.
The ‘record’ for ACL recovery is eight months, which Adrian Peterson did in 2012 ahead of his MVP season. For comparison, Patriots receiver Kendrick Bourne torn his ACL the same week on the calendar Diggs did in 2023, and didn’t return until early October last year.
During his introductory press conference, Diggs was asked for his timeline on when he expects to be cleared for action.
“S—, when the whistle blows?” he said with a laugh. “We’ll see, but right now, I’m ahead of schedule. I’m trying to stay ahead of schedule. I’m pretty much taking it day by day, trying not to put the carriage before the horse. But here we are. Here’s the horse right here. I’ll let you know, though. We’ll keep playing it by ear, and Imma stay ahead of schedule, but I’ll let y’all know.”
“I’ve been pretty serious about the grind process, as far as the rehab and everything,” Diggs added elsewhere in his press conference. “Shout out to Dr. ’Rif [Sharif Tabbah, Diggs’ rehab doctor]. I’m ahead of schedule right now. Trying to stay there at this point. Trying to work a little smarter. I’m a hard worker. So I try to put a lot on my plate at one time but I’m trying to reel it back a little bit. Just be a little more smarter.”
Diggs has been posting workout videos to social media, so his progress is apparent to some extent. His visit to the Patriots facility last week also reportedly included a physical, so the team should have a good idea of where he’s at.
If Diggs isn’t ready for the start of training camp, he’d likely open the summer on the PUP list. If he’s ready to go during the summer the team could be able to activate him at any time, but if not he’d have to miss at least the first four weeks of the season before being eligible to play in 2025.