Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs showed up for Monday’s OTA session. His presence gives rise to an obvious question.
Has he passed the all-important physical mentioned in several portions of his contract?
The Patriots have declined to answer whether the physical has been passed.
Seeing Diggs in running and catching passes while wearing a Patriots helmet creates the impression that he’s been cleared. But he didn’t fully participate in practice; he was limited to individual drills on Monday.
That alone implies he has not yet been cleared to fully practice and play.
The physical that will, if passed, clear him to practice and play remains critical. As recently explained, his $12 million signing bonus is expressly tied to passing that physical. Also, until he does, any injury tracing to the ACL tear wipes out his $10.6 million in additional guarantees.
Until Diggs passes the full physical, the Patriots (who have “no plans” to release him, and all that that implies) have a potential escape hatch from the contract. Of course, that would require the team’s doctor to conclude the knee isn’t fully healed.
Of course, that decision lands within the exclusive province of a doctor who is paid by the Patriots. And who presumably hopes to keep it that way.
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