Patriots' Stefon Diggs has helped fuel Super Bowl run with his fire on the field

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Left back pylon. One knee. Head bowed. Eyes closed.

That is how Stefon Diggs will spend some of his final moments prior to kickoff of the first Super Bowl of his career.

It’s been a staple of the wide receiver's routine before each game he’s played this season for the New England Patriots.

Following pregame warmups, he also calls his teammates in to huddle around him as he leads one of a series of impassioned, fiery and often viral speeches.

“I just say what I feel like I’m supposed to do and just go,” Diggs said. “It’s not so much the words, it’s more so the tenacity.”

Then, he turns the volume down for his prayer in the corner of the end zone.

“Taking a second to kind of appreciate where I am and give my thanks to God and kind of have my little moment with him. Thanking him for the trials and tribulations,” Diggs said. “Building my character up a little bit as a person and making these shoulders weight-bearing, I guess.”

Both are necessary for the player whom teammates call the emotional centerpiece of their Super Bowl run. And for Diggs, it’s been fuel during a comeback season that didn’t seem likely after his tenure in Houston last season was cut short by a knee injury.

But, after posting his seventh 1,000-yard receiving season in his 11th year in the league, he may also be the not-so-secret weapon for an offense that will need to be at its best against a Seattle defense that allowed an NFL-low 17.2 points per game during the regular season.

So many of the things that got Diggs to this point stemmed from an initial sense of trust he found early in his free agent process last summer.

When Diggs signed with Houston in 2024, he acknowledged it was in an effort to chase a championship. But Diggs purposely didn’t have many expectations after signing in free agency with New England.

What drew him initially to the Patriots was a sense of trust he felt after finding an almost instant connection with wide receivers coach Todd Downing, who was the tight ends coach in Minnesota in 2018 when Diggs was there.

He got the same thing from the “straight shooter” he met in coach Mike Vrabel, as well as offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. It was McDaniels whom Diggs credits with unlocking a work ethic he hadn’t had during his pro career.

McDaniels said the veteran receiver has been the perfect match for second-year quarterback Drake Maye.

“I think it’s great for Drake to be around a player as accomplished at Stef,” McDaniels said. “Drake has learned how to assimilate with him, (to) work together with a player that has been around a long time and been around a lot of good quarterbacks. I think it’s been great for Drake’s growth and development."

After Diggs eclipsed 1,000 yards during New England’s regular-season finale, a win over Miami, Maye’s mind went back to the preseason when he invited all the receivers to his home state of North Carolina for some throwing sessions.

He didn’t think someone as “big time” as Diggs would have time to participate. But he did.

“Kind of from that point on, I felt like, man, looking forward to getting with him on the field and seeing him do his thing, and he’s done his thing time and time again,” Maye said. “Some games he’s not getting the ball as much as any receiver would want to, and he’s still trying to block hard and keeps the energy up and breaking the team down and motivating me."

Wide receiver DeMario Douglas said Diggs also has been central to their group bonding.

“Before this season even started we got close,” Douglas said. “That was a big reason of us not being selfish. Of course, we’re all receivers, we all want to touch the ball. But ... like your brothers, your blood brothers, you want to see them do great no matter what. This is how it is in our room.”

Diggs has also created a new Patriots fan along way, thanks to his high-profile relationship with Grammy-winning rapper Cardi B. She has not only been a force cheering for Diggs on social media, but a presence in team owner Robert Kraft’s suite during games.

She and Diggs also celebrated the birth of a son together in November. It's helped Diggs keep his mind on football after being accused in December of strangulation and other criminal charges in connection with a dispute with his former private chef. Diggs has denied the allegations.

"She wasn’t a football girl before I converted her over,” Diggs said. “But I’m just thankful to have her in my corner. She’s an amazing woman and continue to build that relationship. ... I just appreciate her. Hopefully build on that and watch that tree grow.”

As for Sunday, Diggs expects to bring the same voice for his team that he has all season.

“I mean what I say and say what I mean,” Diggs said. “My teammates know that, and the biggest thing is they know I’m trying not to be a ‘rah-rah’ guy. I try to be more show rather than I tell. It’s the fact that I can back my words up with what I say. I try to go as hard as I can to give it everything I’ve got.”

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New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs and wide receiver Kayshon Boutte arrive on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in San Jose, Calif. ahead of the Super Bowl 60 football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs speaks during the NFL Super Bowl Opening Night, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, in San Jose, Calif., ahead of the Super Bowl 60 football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs talks to the media during a news conference Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, in Santa Clara, Calif., ahead of the Super Bowl 60 NFL football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs celebrates with the trophy after the AFC Championship NFL football game between the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/John Locher)

New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs talks to the media during a news conference Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, in Santa Clara, Calif., ahead of the Super Bowl 60 NFL football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

VARESE, Italy (AP) — Freestyle skier and Olympic silver medalist Jaelin Kauf’s first stop Wednesday for the Milan Cortina Winter Games was at a Milan airport hotel. She and her U.S. teammates were giddy as stylists fitted them with their Ralph Lauren uniforms for ceremonies.

Kauf bounced with enthusiasm as if at a competition's starting line while checking out her closing ceremony look: A knit turtleneck bearing the U.S. flag, french-tucked into belted canvas twill trousers, which in turn were given the traditional Ralph Lauren-tuck into striped socks. Hiking boots finished the look.

She tried on a red-white-and-blue puffer jacket emblazoned with "2026" and "USA" and a Nordic-style knit cap with two tassels that she bobbed playfully, alongside moguls teammates Olivia Giaccio, Tess Johnson and Elizabeth Lemly.

They took selfies in the wall-size showroom mirror, as their trousers were marked for hemming and stylists offered personalized touches.

“This is such a fun, special experience to be a part of,’’ said Kauf, a three-time Olympian. “It is making the Olympics real. We are in Italy, we are kicking it off getting the outfits, and they are looking so good. It is exciting to be stepping into it and feel the excitement building up to the Games. “

Most U.S. athletes arriving to compete in the Winter Games pass through the Milan airport hotel, where sponsors have prepared garb, sunglasses and other swag to make sure the competitors are properly outfitted for ceremonies, the medal podium, press conferences and free time.

A Starbucks stand offered a caffeine boost for those arriving after a long journey.

The athletes have been sharing their exhilaration at the bounty in social media posts, undergarments from SKIMS, a novel inflatable jacket from Nike for medals ceremonies and sunglasses from Oakley — in addition to the Ralph Lauren looks.

For the opening ceremony, Ralph Lauren provided a winter white duffel coat, Nordic-style knit turtleneck with the U.S. flag and Olympic rings, and soft, pleated wool trousers.

Giaccio raved about the softness of its fabric, saying “very classy,’’ and Kauf marveled at the branding on the duffel coat, down to “TEAM USA” written on the wooden buttons and inside the hood.

“Zero notes,’’ chimed in Johnson.

This is the sixth Winter Games' collaboration between Ralph Lauren and Team USA; besides the ceremony looks, athletes are getting 30 pieces of village wear.

“This is the best team outfit ever, full stop. I have been doing this since 2010, since Vancouver and by far this is the best,’’ said Peter Zeytoonjian, senior vice president of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic committee’s commercial arm.

“My favorite piece for village wear is what I’m wearing,'' he said, sporting a red-white-and-blue cable-knit turtleneck. ”And then for closing, I love the flag sweater. It screams red, white and blue and Team USA. ‘’

The women's moguls team is riding high after first-ever sweep of the top four spots in dual moguls at a World Cup event last month, en route to the freestyle 2026 Winter Games venue in Livigno, near the Swiss border, where the discipline is making its Olympic debut.

The result “just speaks volumes about this women’s team,'' Kauf said. "We are just such strong skiers, such strong competitors. We came here to win. I think this is going to be a really fun event for all of us.''

United States' Elizabeth Lemley wears the Team USA uniform designed by Ralph Lauren, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

United States' Jaelin Kauf speaks with a journalist during an Associated Press interview as she wears the Team USA uniform designed by Ralph Lauren, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

From left, United States' Tess Johnson, Olivia Giaccio, Jaelin Kauf and Elizabeth Lemley pose for a photographer as they wear the Team USA uniforms designed by Ralph Lauren, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

From left, United States' Tess Johnson, Jaelin Kauf, Olivia Giaccio and Elizabeth Lemley pose for photographers as they wear the Team USA uniforms designed by Ralph Lauren at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)