Stefon Diggs was his excitable self before Super Bowl LX.
Known as Josh Allen’s favorite target in Buffalo, and to rap fans as the father of Cardi B‘s youngest boy, Diggs has surprisingly ingratiated himself in New England. So even though he’s faced an assault charge and a newly filed lawsuit in recent weeks, it wasn’t much of a surprise to see him pumping up teammates on the sideline or sharing a hug with team owner Robert Kraft.
Then came kickoff, and near silence: Just three receptions on a mere three targets as the Patriots fell 29-13 to the Super Bowl-champion Seahawks.
The most notable moment? When he got punched in the head by Seattle defensive back Josh Jobe after the pair jostled with each other’s facemasks for a bit.
That dreadful performance, along with his partially-guaranteed $28 million cap hit, is enough to jeopardize his return to Foxborough in 2026, but Diggs did declare his hope to remain a Patriot.
‘S***,’ he said in the post-game locker room, ‘I hope so.’
Stefon Diggs reacts during his three-catch performance in his Super Bowl debut
Diggs was his vibrant self before the game, pumping up teammates at Levi’s Stadium
Diggs shares a hug with Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who has stuck with the receiver
But not even that comment could add a silver lining to his inexplicable day in Santa Clara, where he matched his fewest targets in any game this season.
In the first half, Diggs had been more or less ignored until early in the second quarter when Drake Maye hit him with a screen pass for a five-yard gain on a failed third-down conversion.
By the next possession, Maye was looking elsewhere again.
Most notably, the second-year passer failed to spot the open Diggs cutting across the center of the field on another crucial third down. Maye instead overthrew Mack Hollins downfield, killing that second-quarter drive too.
The Seahawks had their hand in this, of course. Cornerback Devon Witherspoon insisted the strategy was more about making Maye uncomfortable, and the Seahawks did sack him six times for the game.
‘You know, our game plan really wasn’t around him tonight,’ Witherspoon told the Daily Mail. ‘It was really more about the quarterback and keeping him contained in the pocket, and I think we did a great job with that.’
But not even Seattle’s performance can excuse Diggs’ utter disappearance in his Super Bowl debut.
In the end, he would finish with three catches on three targets after a particularly turbulent few weeks.
Cardi B made her own headlines in the days before the Super Bowl, first making a drunken appearance at the league’s flag football game.
‘I just came from a party I took like seven shots I’m lit ya’ll,’ she told the YouTube audience.
Then there was her sexy striptease for a wobbly humanoid. The robot ultimately toppled under the weight of her lap dance, leading an embarrassed Cardi B to apologize to surrounding staff.
She even made a cameo during the halftime show, where she was seen on stage cheering on Bad Bunny, but much like Diggs, she was really more of an afterthought on Sunday.
Young Miko, Karol G, Cardi B, Jessica Alba, Alix Earle and Stephani Sosa at Super Bowl LX. Cardi B is the mother of Stefon Diggs’ third child. The two have been dating since 2025
Diggs is pictured with girlfriend Cardi B in courtside seats at Madison Square Garden in May
The off-field stuff wasn’t all bad, but Diggs certainly made a bad first impression after signing a three-year, $63.5 million deal with the Patriots in late March.
A little over a month later, he was seen partying aboard a boat in a viral clip that showed him handling a pink substance believed to be drugs. He later discussed the incident with Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, who agreed to keep the conversation private.
Diggs was never punished by the team or league.
The incident led to friction with local media, but Diggs cleared the air in September by apologizing and insisting he’s not ‘here to ego trip.’
He went on to be productive as a player and emotional leader, not to mention a resource for local reporters, who seemed to enjoy his candid answers.
In his first season since tearing his ACL with the Houston Texans, he looked like his former self, playing all 17 games, recording 85 receptions on 102 targets and scoring four touchdowns on the season.
The NFL star was seen surrounded by women clad in bikinis over Memorial Day weekend. He was also seen handling a strange substance, although he did not ingest the powder in the clip
The rapper posted a photo of her and Diggs on a boat in the wake of the viral video
And things got even better for Diggs in November when Cardi B gave birth to their baby son — her fourth child and his third, but their first as a couple.
But all of the good will Diggs built over the course of the regular season nearly came undone in late December, when he was charged assault and battery for an alleged physical altercation with his personal chef. The woman has claimed Diggs put her in a headlock with the ‘crook of his elbow around her neck.’
Diggs, through his attorney, denied the allegations.
He caught a break when his arraignment, originally scheduled for January 23, was pushed back until after the AFC championship and Super Bowl. But Diggs found himself in more trouble just days before Sunday’s game, when he was sued by a former employee over allegations of defamation and engaging in a civil conspiracy.
Diggs has yet to address that lawsuit, but he has remained talkative with reporters throughout Super Bowl week.
It was on Sunday, though, when he finally went quiet.
