Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Reunion: Will Patriots-Stefon Diggs Reconnect in 2026? | Gabe Jacas Update

Starting point is 00:00:00 Stefan Diggs is found not guilty and remains a free agent. Could a reunion with the Pats be on the radar? This is Lockdown Patriots. You are Locked on Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast, part of the Locked on Podcasts Network, your team every day. What's happening? I am your host, Nick Cattles. On today's episode, Devin McCordy's interesting quote that got us thinking out loud about

Starting point is 00:00:34 this team's leadership. In the second segment, the coaching staff's true feelings about a draft pick are revealed. But first, Stefan Diggs, back in New England? Stefan Diggs was found not guilty on all charges this week in a court of law. And I am here to tell you, even though Stefan Diggs was found not guilty, there is not a single chance he lands back in New England. I give this no shot of happening. Why? Why do I give this no shot? Because usually I say anything is possible, right? I don't think this is even possible.

Starting point is 00:01:13 And if it happens, egg on the face, I'll be the first to admit. But I do not expect anticipate Stefan Diggs being a patriot in 2026. Let's start with the deal that's all but done for the guy by the name of A.J. Brown. Every conversation we have about wide receiver, whether I like it, you like it or not, every single solitary conversation that we are going to have from this point moving forward. And this has been the case really for the past couple of months. But every conversation from now until early June, we're going to have that caveat when we talk about receiver, when we talk about this offense, we're going to have that asterisk, A.J. Brown.

Starting point is 00:01:56 We're going to have it right at the bottom of the screen, right? A.J. Brown. I should actually have it on the screen every single episode. caveat, asterisk, A.J. Brown, June 2nd, or June 3rd. The A.J. Brown deal is all but done. I feel like there's an arrangement between Philadelphia and New England. I have been saying this for the past couple of weeks. Ever since the draft, I think it's clear that this thing might not be, quote, unquote, officially official, but there is an arrangement between the Eagles and the Patriots

Starting point is 00:02:30 that Brown will be a Patriot early June. So that's just the first reason. You're fully focused on AJ Brown right now if you are the Pax. Second reason why I give this no chance of happening, a return of Stefan Diggs to New England, is because the Patriots went out and signed Romeo Dobbs. They intentionally and purposefully said, we don't want Stefan Diggs back, given the circumstances, off the field, on the field,

Starting point is 00:03:05 in the checkbook. We don't want to be in the Steph Diggs business unless it works better for us. We don't feel like it's going to work out better for us. So we are going to say goodbye to Steph Diggs. Thank you for your service in 2025. You were truly tremendous exceeding all expectations post ACL. But we feel like going out and signing Romeo Dobbs is what's best for business. When the Patriots signed Dobbs, he was put in the role of Stefan Diggs, and he will remain in that role.

Starting point is 00:03:41 I did not think that Romeo Dobbs was going to get the vast majority of the time on the outside. I never thought that was going to happen. Can he play outside? Sure. Will he play outside? Probably. will he be out there a ton? I don't think so. I think the Patriots, as soon as they realized that Stefan Diggs was not going to be cost efficient for them or whatever else it was,

Starting point is 00:04:05 they said, hey, we'll just pivot, we'll bring somebody else in to play that Z role. And that guy is Dobbs. And he has signed, sealed, and delivered to a contract that pays him $17, $18 million a year, which begs the question, do you honestly believe in your heart of hearts? Even if the Patriots interested in Diggs, do you honestly believe that at the end of the day, they would write the checks for A.J. Brown, Romeo Dobbs, and Stefan Diggs. As excited as those three names make you, do you think the Patriots would dump that much money into the wide receiver position to pay all three of those guys? Because I'm telling you right now, Stefan Diggs is going to go out there and get the best deal he can get. He's not looking to sign some kind of cheap deal. He's looking for a deal

Starting point is 00:04:57 that is respectable in his eyes. And we all know that Diggs is very confident, believes he is a great receiver. And again, he exceeded expectations last year. The type of season he had last year could lend him well in free agency, even though it's very late in the process. He should get a pretty good contract given what he did a year ago and how much he helped Drake May take that step forward. Let me ask you this as well. Even if the Patriots were interested, even if the Patriots were willing to pay the money,

Starting point is 00:05:31 even if the Patriots said, we signed Romeo Dobbs to have that role in this offense, but we can make this thing work. Do you think Stefan Diggs would want to come back to New England? Do you think that Diggs would be interested in the Patriots? Do you think Diggs would be interested in signing a contract and maybe being the third receiver on the debt chart, I don't think Diggs is going to get a Dobbs-type contract from anybody.

Starting point is 00:05:59 I think he'll get a reasonable contract, a good contract, but I don't think he's going to get the Dobbs-type contract. So do you think that Diggs would sign a deal that makes him the third highest-paid receiver on the roster, and do you think Diggs would be okay in the final few gasps of, his NFL life, do you really feel like he would be just fine settling in as the third guy? What about Stefan Diggs would tell us that he would be okay being the third or fourth banana in an offense? Nothing.

Starting point is 00:06:36 Nothing that I have seen. Diggs has the alpha mentality through and through. Now, he was willing to be the second fiddle to Nico Collins a couple of years ago in Houston. But being the second fiddle is not the third fiddle. And being the third fiddle in a place where you were the first fiddle last year, that's even tougher. Diggs is going to want targets. He's going to want to produce.

Starting point is 00:07:02 And I don't think those opportunities are going to be in New England with A.J. Brown and Romeo Dobbs in the mix. Now, even if you said the Patriots were willing to pay all three receivers, even if you thought Stefan Diggs was willing to. to be the third receiver in this offense. Would Diggs returning to New England, would that be the best decision for the Patriots long term? You're going to have A.J. Brown, who's nearing 30, has his own knee questions.

Starting point is 00:07:35 You bring back a Stefan Diggs who has obvious health questions, even though, again, he exceeded expectations to torn ACL. He's still in his 30s. Do you think it would be best for business for the Patriots to bury Kyle Williams and bury his possible development and push Kyle Williams further down the debt chart by signing Stefan Diggs? Just none of it makes sense.

Starting point is 00:08:09 I think the ship has passed. The opportunity is gone. without even paying much attention to the fact that Diggs tends to wear out his welcome. He's usually pretty good. He's usually playing ball for the first year, year and a half, maybe two years, maybe. But he tends to wear out his welcome. In this case, again, that he was cleared of all charges, not guilty, that was not the only distraction going on.

Starting point is 00:08:43 The week of the Super Bowl, you had the Cardi B relationship stuff, Before the season, you had the pink substance stuff. I don't think there's any chance, any chance that Diggs returns to New England. We can all remember his 2025 season very fondly. We can thank him for his contributions. We could thank him for helping Drake May have the type of season that he had. But this is full force moving forward. A.J. Brown, Romeo Dobbs, and I thank Kyle Williams as your top three receipts.

Starting point is 00:09:18 Severs. Full speed ahead. Coming up, an eye-opening report on one of the Pat's top draft picks from this year's draft class. This is Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network. Now, the number one sports podcast network, your team every day. This episode is sponsored by Better Health. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and it's an important reminder that whatever you're carrying right now, you don't have to go through it alone. Life can feel overwhelming sometimes, whether it's stress, uncertainty, anxiety, and it's easy to feel like you need to figure it out by yourself. But therapy can be a place to get support, gain perspective, and talk things through with someone who's there to listen and help. BetterHelp connects people with licensed therapists and makes it easier to get matched with someone who fits your needs and goals.

Starting point is 00:10:13 And Better Help, get this. They've helped millions, millions of people connect with licensed therapists and the matching process is, is designed to help you find someone who works for you. You don't have to be on this journey alone. Find support, have someone with you in therapy. You can sign up and get 10% off at betterhelp.com slash locked on. That's better. H-E-L-P dot com slash lockdown.

Starting point is 00:10:41 We were excited about the Pats adding Gabe Accus during this year's draft, but apparently those at Gillette were even more pumped and jacked. We'll have those details in a minute. But thank you for making us your first listen and for being an everydayer. Don't forget to check out the Everydayer Club for ad-free episodes and access to a group chat with other listeners of this show. Tap the link in the show notes to find out more. We'll go to Lockdown Patriots.supercast.com. If you're checking us out on YouTube, first of all, we appreciate every single one of you, truly.

Starting point is 00:11:17 We do appreciate you. You are why I continue to work in this business and make a living in this business. Can't thank you enough. But do us a favor if you can. Click that thumbs up. If you're watching on YouTube, helps us with the algorithm, helps us build the audience. Don't forget to like. Don't forget to comment. And don't forget to subscribe.

Starting point is 00:11:36 The goal is 10,000 subscribers. That's the next one on the checklist. We've got to check that off. So don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe. All right, the Gabe Accus pick. I feel like the Gabe Accus pick is, was universally loved. It's very difficult to find anybody. who looks at the ACUS pick with a side eye.

Starting point is 00:11:57 Very difficult to find somebody who criticizes this pick, practically universally loved. And I'll tell you, I'm somebody who loved the idea of moving up and drafting the edge. I love the ACUS pick, where they got him, his fit for this defense. But I'm even more optimistic about ACUS

Starting point is 00:12:18 after reading Doug Kide at the Boston Herald. Kide wrote, Illinois head coach Brett Beelma, who overlapped with Joe Kim for two seasons as a defensive assistant with the Patriots, joked that, quote, if there's one guy in this building that wore out Joe Kim's office, it was Gabe Accus. I mean, it was nonstop. Gabe Accus would talk about pass rush for literally 20 hours a day. He would love to do it.

Starting point is 00:12:44 He's just consumed by it, unquote. Kide writes, Beelma and Kim both use the same word to describe Accus, relentless. That's why Patriots, coaches, coached. coaches were, quote unquote, ecstatic. So Doug Kai telling us that the Patriots, the coaches, were ecstatic when the team's front office traded up to select Accus in the second round. Beelma was told that Ackis had asked Patriots head coach Mike Vrable to send him the playbook after his top 30 visit.

Starting point is 00:13:16 Beelma said laughing, that's so Gabe. Acis made Kim feel like he was back in the NFL. Kim said, quote, he was just a sponge. I mean, he was there morning, afternoon, night, just picking my brain, and I felt like I was back in the pros with him, unquote. Some great stuff from Doug Kye, some great work at The Herald. And to read that the Patriots coaches were ecstatic about drafting ACUS, to me, it wasn't the biggest surprise in the world.

Starting point is 00:13:48 Because if you watch the videos of the phone calls between the team and the draft picks. Everybody releases these now. Like the draft pick phone calls are all over social media for a solid couple of days. I love watching them. But I tweeted this at Nick C. Radio when I first saw the video of Mike Vrable on the phone with Accus. It was clearly out of the first three picks, Caleb Lomu, Accus, and Eli Raredon, just watching the video, it was clear. crystal clear that Accus was Vrabel's favorite pick. And I don't even think it was close. Vrable is, I mean, he is gleefully smiling and talking to Accus.

Starting point is 00:14:39 It looks like he wants to jump up and do cartwheels along the draft room. By far, you watch the videos. Go back, watch them all. Watch the Caleb Lomu phone call. Watch the Eli Rairden phone call. And then watch the Accus phone call and tell me that Mike Vrable did not love himself some Gabe Accus. And I will call you a liar because it is clear.

Starting point is 00:15:04 Unequivocally, this is a Vrable guy. And unequivocally, Vrable reacted as if they moved up to draft one of his guys. I mean, for the love of all that is holy folks, Gabe Accus is wearing Mike Vrable's former Patriots number. Accus is going to wear number 50. They might as well just be tied to the hip. And the Patriots, by the way, it's not just a Vrabel thing. The Patriots had to love Accus because think about this.

Starting point is 00:15:38 The Patriots bailed out of the fourth round completely by trading up to draft Accus. See, you trade up for Caleb Lomu. Yeah, you trade one of your two fourths. You still have a fourth left. You don't know how the day is going to unfold tomorrow. You don't know what Friday night is going to bring you. To make the conscious decision to trade your last fourth round picking that draft, knowing that you were going to sit there from pick 95 to pick 171

Starting point is 00:16:10 and still be willing to make that trade to draft ACUS should tell you and I everything we need to know about how the Pats truly feel regarding ACUS, that this is not just, you know, teams after drafting a guy saying, oh, we were ecstatic that he was there. No, the actions. The actions speak louder than the words. So while the words say we're ecstatic, the actions say we are over the moon. We wanted to make this move.

Starting point is 00:16:40 We needed to make this move. We were willing to go from 95 to 171. We were willing to give up our final fourth round pick to draft that guy. And we sat there all day Friday. We sat there all day Friday coming up with 150,000 different possibilities. We still wanted him. And we wanted him that bad. It is incredibly tough to believe Accus is going to fail.

Starting point is 00:17:08 He's got the body. He's got the violence slash the power to his game. And he obviously, reading this story from Doug Kide, has an unbelievable work ethic. The dude is obsessed with getting better. And usually when you have athletes who are good enough athletes to make it to a pro sport, usually when you have the requisite amount of athleticism, and there's something about your game that gets you drafted,

Starting point is 00:17:40 and there's something about your game that gets you drafted in the second round, and you have this obsession. have this level of work ethic, that you are going to do everything with every fiber of your being to be the best player that you possibly can be, that you are just hungry to learn. He was a wrestler. He was a pretty darn good wrestler in high school. And we always talk about the wrestler work ethic. If you're going to wrestle, you've got to grind, like the weight cuts, the nonstop working out. I mean, it is a grind. And if you're going to wrestle at the level that Accus wrestled at in high school,

Starting point is 00:18:17 you not only accept that grind, you embrace that grind. So we are talking about somebody who is thirsty to learn, thirsty to improve. And you combine that work ethic with second round level talent. Most people, most of those guys, they don't fail. They might not be great players. they might not be pro bowlers or all pros. But when you mix the work ethic with the talent, it's very tough to see somebody completely fail

Starting point is 00:18:51 when you have that dynamic. Also very productive in college. Also the fact that Patriots have, I think, a really good coaching staff, especially defensive line and pass rush-wise. Accus has everything that would make him primed to success. at the NFL level. He just has that high floor type vibe. Again, he might not end up being a super explosive,

Starting point is 00:19:19 unbelievable edge pro bowl, all pro type guy. But it does feel like with the work ethic, the talent, the coaching staff, that his floor is going to be very high, that he is going to contribute to this football team for years to come. And ultimately, to me the question is, what is Acus's ceiling? Because I am willing to bet on the work.

Starting point is 00:19:40 I am willing to bet on somebody who puts the work in. And apparently that's exactly what Accus does. I am very excited to see this young man play football. And I think he has the potential to leapfrog Elijah Ponder rather early in this process. And I think he absolutely has the tools. And again, that work ethic, that obsession to be starting for you in 2027. Very excited. The more I read, the more I learn about Gabe Akis.

Starting point is 00:20:10 is very excited about his edition. Coming up, Devin McCordy's quote that carries significant weight for the 2026 season. This is Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team, every day. I know the bees are not in it, but the NHL playoffs are still happening where every shift matters. Every moment is intense and the pressure, well, it's at its highest. And just like performance matters on the ice, it matters off the ice, too. That's where Rougiette comes in. Rougiette offers treatments designed to help you get ready and stay ready when it matters.

Starting point is 00:20:49 Their top option, Rougiet ready, combines clinically proven ingredients and a simple mint that dissolves right under your tongue. Here's the thing. Works fast, fellas, often in about 15 minutes and it can last up to 36 hours. They also offer go long, designed to help with both performance and control. It's all about confidence and confidence. feeling like yourself again. Head to rougiette.com slash lockdown NHL. Again, that's rouget.com slash locked on NHL and get 15% off your ED treatment.

Starting point is 00:21:24 That's r u g, IET.com slash lockdown NHL for 15% off. Rougiette, performance medicine for men. Devin McCordy spoke to Karen Geregian of Mass Live and said something that had us thinking very hard about how this team will be run in 2020. 26 and the leadership that is in place or maybe not in place. Before we get to that, thanks for checking out the Lockdown Podcast Network. Now the number one sports podcast network. And of course, don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe.

Starting point is 00:21:59 There's nothing new regarding the Mike Vrabel situation, let's just call it. Nothing really new lately over the past couple of weeks. It's been mostly quiet. But there was an interesting Devin McCordy quote or quotes recently given. to Karen Geregian, who wrote about the Mike Vrable situation and how some former patriots felt regarding how the team would be able to stick together or not stick together. And what stood out to me was what McCordy said about the team leadership.

Starting point is 00:22:33 Quote, I think the biggest thing will be they need strong leadership. I think of deflakeet. I was there for Aaron Hernandez. There's so many things that happened when I was there. He ain't kidding. I looked at Tom Brady. I looked at Vince Wilfork. I looked at Logan Mankins.

Starting point is 00:22:49 I looked at Matthew Slater. And I saw how they handled it. I think for Drake May, I feel bad in a sense. He's still navigating how to be in this league. And guys are going to look to him. He's the quarterback. He's married. He's mature.

Starting point is 00:23:04 That's a lot to take on when you're not at that stage of life. I just think they're going to have to deal with it in waves. It's not going to be, hey man, we're finally over this. there are going to be different waves and how they handle it will really determine their season. It's a lot, right? That's a lot. I want to start with the whole leadership idea. Drake May's personality and his voice, so to speak, within the team dynamic, is still growing.

Starting point is 00:23:35 I think it's still growing. It's still progressing. It's not fully there yet. And if you think back, Devin McCordy says, you know, the flake gate. I looked to Brady. Deflategate was 14, 15 years into Tom Brady's career. I mean, he was the established best quarterback in the league. And at that point, I think you could argue he was already established as the greatest of all time.

Starting point is 00:24:03 He was cemented. He was cemented. He was practically bronzed at that point. So Drake May is not there. and that's nothing against Drake May. You can't have that level of experience until you play through as many seasons. So I still think May's personality and his voice within the team, it is still growing. And Drake May is not the same personality as Tom Brady, as we know.

Starting point is 00:24:35 They're just different guys, different approaches in certain ways. And I think when you go back to last year, one of the top priorities from Mike Grable, and he talked about this, one of the top priorities was trying to work with May on leadership, get him to talk more, get him to talk louder, get him to do simple things like celebrate with the team

Starting point is 00:25:01 when you have a touchdown. And the question is, is Drake May there yet? He's not going to be at the level of, of Brady and his personality and his voice is still growing, but you can continue to grow and still be at a level that is good enough to deal with this type of stuff. And I don't know the answer to that because I don't know Drake May personally.

Starting point is 00:25:26 I am not in that locker room. It feels like he has certainly matured. And it seems like he's got his head in the right place. It seems like he's more comfortable as the season went on and in this office. offseason and speaking about the Mike Vrable stuff a week or two ago. It seems like he is much more comfortable in doing that. I am hopeful. I am hopeful that Drake May is there,

Starting point is 00:25:54 that he's capable enough from a leadership standpoint to maybe help steer this team through the choppy waters, if that's what happens over the next few months. I am hopeful. I think Drake May is a very sharp guy. I think he's a relatable. teammate. I think he takes accountability and responsibility. I think he has all the makings of being a great leader. And I think I'm hopeful that he's at a high enough level to deal with at least some of,

Starting point is 00:26:24 if not most of this stuff. He's just not at the Brady level. And again, that's nothing against him. It's going to take time. I also wonder about the leadership thing here. The AJ Brown edition, fascinating when you when you sit back and you think about how the team dynamics are going to work and will acquiring a j brown be helpful to this or will it hurt this entire thing that has been going on you got a j brown who is a mike vrable guy some would say a b f f f so one way you can look at this is a j brown he's going to come in he's got his coaches back He knows his coach really well. Vrable will use him as, you know, a vessel to have communications with some of the guys on the team.

Starting point is 00:27:15 And he will utilize that relationship between he and Brown to help mend any fences that might have to be mended. That is certainly one possibility. There's the other possibility, though, that you're bringing in A.J. Brown, who recently has had some history with drama and not necessarily being, cool with the team vibe and not getting along with everybody. So it's very, very interesting how

Starting point is 00:27:46 if A.J. Brown is added as we all expect, how his personality is blended into this whole thing with his personal relationship with Brable. We know Brable, he usually does a great job of making those connections.

Starting point is 00:28:03 And I think that A.J. Brown will take to it. I think he will end up saying, I've got my coaches back, and he's going to help motivate other players to have their coaches back. And of course, the caveat is, you know, as long as nothing, you know, crazy comes out or even more comes out. I do think A.J. Brown will take the responsibility. He's going to be getting the targets.

Starting point is 00:28:27 He's going to have the production. I think he will take to that responsibility of being one of the leaders in that room. Could be wrong, but I'm hopeful. Again, maybe I'm hopeful just because I'm blind to it all. The good news is I think the Patriots have a leader in every room. You think about the offensive line, Morgan Moses is a great leader. You think about wide receiver, even if A.J. Brown doesn't take to it. Mack Hollins is a good leader.

Starting point is 00:28:54 Tight ends, Hunter Henry, running backs, Ramandre Stevenson. Even defensively, I think Milton Williams is a really good leader. Robert Spillane for the linebackers, good leader. The edges. Harold Landry, Draymont Jones, two guys that have been there. Harold Landry is seen as a good leader. Your corners, your safeties,

Starting point is 00:29:16 Carlton Davis, Kevin Byard. We know Christian Gonzalez is working hard to become a better leader. Craig Woodson is maturing. So this is where you look at the culture that you started to build last year. And you brought in a lot of, according to reports, just good guys

Starting point is 00:29:31 and culture guys, that's where all of that work last year and this offseason should help you. And you should be able to handle what's happened. You should be able to handle that. Again, we don't know what's possible down the road here, but what's come out, what's happened, I think the Patriots have what they need to have

Starting point is 00:29:54 in that room as far as leadership. Now, the other comment, how they handled the waves will determine their season. significant coming from a Devin McCordy. Because he's not telling you he's taking this for granted. He's not telling you, oh, this is not going to be a big deal. He's gone through a lot of things, a lot of controversies, as he said. And, you know, mentioning you got to handle the waves, the ups and downs of this,

Starting point is 00:30:19 how you handle those ups and downs will determine your season. So Devin McCordy is telling us, don't overlook the impact this could have on the football team. Not saying they can't handle it, but it is going to have an impact. Now, if there's no more that comes out, I think the ship will steady. If more comes out, who knows? But for now, seas are a little less choppy, and I like who's in the boat. That wraps up this edition of Lockdown Patriots. Thank you for making us your first listen for being an everydayer.

Starting point is 00:30:50 Reach out to me on Twitter at Nick C Radio, and don't forget to throw a comment in on the YouTube channel. Hit that like button and subscribe. If you never miss an episode, the Everydayer Club is built for you. get Lockdown Patriots ad-free plus members-only Discord access and more. Head to LockdownPatriots.supercast.com or check the link and the show notes to learn even more. Have a great day and we will see you next time.

Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Reunion: Will Patriots-Stefon Diggs Reconnect in 2026? | Gabe Jacas Update

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.