AFC Notes: Stefon Diggs, Mac Jones, Bill, Jets, Patriots

Bills

Bills WR Stefon Diggs showed why he has earned the mercurial label from some, storming out of the stadium as quickly as he could after the team’s playoff loss to the Bengals and showing some frustration with his future in Buffalo on social media this offseason. But until the situation with minicamp, his teammates had downplayed the situation as just Diggs being himself and letting off a little steam. Here’s Bills S Micah Hyde from back in March. 

“He wants the rock and he’s a competitor. I feel like if he was not complaining and we lost that game and we all set out into the sunset and into the offseason, that would probably be a problem,” Hyde said via Syracuse.com’s Matt Parrino. “As a locker room and as an organization, we understand Diggs. We know the type of person he is. Nobody’s panicking. Nobody’s worried about that. I know Diggs personally and I know he’s a competitor and we talk junk in practice every day. That’s just how he is.”

Jets

Jets DE Carl Lawson accepted a $6 million pay cut from his base salary to return to New York and said getting to play with QB Aaron Rodgers was a big factor in his decision.

“Almost like God is talking to me,” Lawson said, via Steve Serby of the New York Post. “Cause my career started chasing this quarterback. I got four sacks against him, and my career damn near ended in the pursuit of this quarterback. So, kind of a no-brainer from upstairs, you feel like, ‘Hey, you need to be here.’”

Patriots

Former play-caller Matt Patricia has taken a lot of heat for the Patriots’ woes on offense in 2022, but QB Mac Jones wasn’t blameless himself in a frustrating year. He seems to be aware of that entering a key 2023 season. 

“Sometimes the most confident people come from a year where they might not have been their best. I feel like that’s where I’m at,” he said via ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “Really great people are formed through ups and downs. Some of the learning experiences I had last year will really help. There’s a lot of things I can do better as a person, as a player.”

Although the circumstances were certainly challenging, Jones’ leadership came under fire for the way he failed to control his emotions during games and on the sideline. Jones’ frustration was palpable, and there were outbursts like penalties on the field and blowups on the sideline that hurt the team. 

“There’s mental, physical, emotional, and I’ve addressed all that. You try to fill up each bucket the right way,” he said.

Bottom line, after a promising rookie season, Jones finds himself restarting in some ways ahead of a pivotal Year 3. 

“I’m going to do everything I can to earn the respect of everybody in this building again.”

• Reiss mentions during an inside run practice period Patriots TE Mike Gesicki worked with the receivers and defensive backs when they split off instead of sticking with the rest of the tight ends, perhaps reflecting how New England plans to use Gesicki more like a receiver this season.