Just one day after\u00a0Stefon Diggs\u00a0was found not guilty\u00a0in his assault trial, a new report says Mike Vrabel is already pushing the\u00a0New England Patriots\u00a0to pursue a reunion with the former 1,000-yard receiver despite the ongoing Dianna Russini scandal threatening the coach\u2019s future.<\/p>\n
New England released Diggs\u00a0following the Patriots Super Bowl defeat to the\u00a0Seattle Seahawks, even though Diggs became the team\u2019s\u00a0first receiver to record a 1,000-yard\u00a0season since Julian Edelman in 2019.<\/p>\n
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The timing of the reported Diggs push is especially striking because\u00a0Vrabel remains under intense scrutiny\u00a0following the publication of photos linking him to NFL reporter Dianna Russini \u2014 controversy that some league insiders believe could still jeopardize his standing with the Patriots if another damaging development emerges.<\/p>\n
The Patriots are believed to have parted ways with Diggs due to a contract that would have saddled the Patriots with\u00a0a $26.5 million salary cap hit\u00a0heading into the 2026 season. But Diggs also faced serious legal troubles.<\/p>\n
In December, a personal chef who worked for Diggs, Jamila \u201cMila\u201d Adams, filed a police report accusing the 11-year\u00a0NFL\u00a0veteran wide receiver of assaulting and strangling her when she asked for pay he allegedly owed her. The case went to trial this week, and on Tuesday a jury in Dedham, Massachusetts,\u00a0found Diggs not guilty\u00a0on all counts.<\/p>\n
Diggs, a free agent, has not signed with another team. But now that his assault case, which could have put him behind bars\u00a0for up to five years, effectively ending his NFL career, has been resolved, teams are expected to begin bidding for Diggs\u2019 services.<\/p>\n
According to a report\u00a0Wednesday by the\u00a0Daily Mail, Vrabel wants the Patriots to be first in line for Diggs.<\/p>\n
Read More From Heavy<\/p>\n
Mike Florio Warns Vrabel\u2019s Patriots Job at Risk Amid Russini Photo Fallout<\/p>\n
Russini Scandal Dogs Vrabel<\/p>\n
The report appears to indicate that Vrabel is proceeding as normal with his second year as Patriots head coach, despite an ongoing scandal that according to some experts could end up costing him his job.<\/p>\n
The scandal began a month ago when\u00a0Page Six\u00a0published\u00a0candid photos of Vrabel, who is married, in a seemingly intimate setting with the also-married NFL reporter Dianna Russini, then of\u00a0The Athletic.<\/p>\n
Vrabel and the Patriots badly flubbed the public relations response to the photos, with Vrabel first dismissing any allegations of impropriety with Russini as \u201claughable.\u201d But within two weeks his stance had shifted to the point where he left the team during the NFL draft to seek \u201ccounseling.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re one news cycle away potentially, at any given moment, from him not being able to coach the team this year,\u201d said\u00a0Pro Football Talk\u00a0founder Mike Florio\u00a0in a radio interview on Tuesday. \u201cWhat if she tells her story to the Today show or 60 Minutes? Is that the tipping point where Mike Vrabel can\u2019t coach the Patriots this year?\u201d<\/p>\n
But the reported interest in a Diggs reunion appears to show that Vrabel is unworried about his job security.<\/p>\n
Read More From Heavy<\/p>\n
Stefon Diggs Assault Trial: Accuser Testifies to Sexual Relationship in Court<\/p>\n
Is a Diggs Reunion Realistic for Vrabel, Patriots?<\/p>\n
During his single-season stint with the Patriots, Diggs played a key role in taking New England to a 14-3 season, the team\u2019s\u00a0best record since going 14-2\u00a0in 2016, and the Super Bowl. The 32-year-old receiver, who has played for four NFL teams,\u00a0praised Vrabel as\u00a0\u201cprobably the best coach I\u2019ve ever had.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to a source close to Diggs who spoke to the\u00a0Daily Mail, however, Diggs may not be willing to come back to New England for one reason \u2014 money.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only reason he would not sign is because he would have to sign for a lot cheaper rate than he would get from any other team,\u201d the unnamed source told the\u00a0Mail. \u201cIf he would like to leave millions on the table to return to the Patriots, those discussions will be started this week.\u201d<\/p>\n
One thing is certain, however. With a long-anticipated Patriots\u00a0trade for Philadelphia Eagles receiver\u00a0A.J. Brown\u00a0expected after June 1, and the earlier\u00a0free-agent signing of\u00a0former\u00a0Green Bay Packers\u00a0pass catcher Romeo Doubs, a Vrabel reunion with Diggs would immediately give the Patriots and quarterback Drake Maye perhaps the top receiving corps in the NFL.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Just one day after\u00a0Stefon Diggs\u00a0was found not guilty\u00a0in his assault trial, a new report says Mike Vrabel is already pushing the\u00a0New England Patriots\u00a0to pursue a reunion with… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":45960,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\n