Patriots Receiver Reveals He Played Through Fractured Finger This Season

If you’re looking for primary source evidence that Drake Maye has a feathery-soft throwing touch, you’ve come to the right place. New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs revealed today, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss, that he was able to play through a fractured finger (suffered “a couple weeks ago”) in part because of Maye’s soft delivery.

In answering a question on Drake Maye’s touch as a thrower, Stefon Diggs shares with reporters that he fractured a finger a couple weeks ago. Never a doubt he would play through it.

“Least of my worries,” he says, adding that Maye is like a basketball player with a smooth stroke

— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) November 19, 2025

Diggs has become Maye’s favorite target in 2025. The former Buffalo Bill leads the Patriots in receptions (59) and receiving yards (659) so far this season.

Diggs’s basketball player comparison for Maye is more than valid. Maye was a high school basketball star, with a viral highlight tape to prove it.

Patriots new Franchise QB Drake Maye basketball highlights ???? @DrakeMaye2 pic.twitter.com/9QJs4eQARZ

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) May 9, 2024

Maye’s sniper-like accuracy as a three-point shooter isn’t all that surprising for Patriots fans who haven’t yet seen this footage. He’s emerged as one of the NFL’s most accurate passers, and to Diggs’s benefit (and the rest of New England’s receiving corps), Maye never puts more juice on a throw than required.

Maye, Diggs, and the 9-2 Pats will head to Cincinnati in Week 12 to try and take care of business against the Bengals before heading back home for a date with the New York Giants (December 1) followed by a bye week.

Maye is the consensus front-runner for NFL MVP at the moment.