I’ll admit it.

A week ago, right around the time he first visited, I had reservations about Stefon Diggs.

Start with the fact he turns 32 in November.

Then, the rumblings about him being a malcontent the Vikings and Bills have both traded away, and the Texans recently declined to re-sign.

And, of course, there’s his ongoing recovery from a torn ACL.

But with time comes clarity.

So, let’s start over and begin again here: the Patriots are not the Vikings. They are not the Bills. They’re not even the Texans.

They are a sad-sack franchise, and the only NFL team that hasn’t fielded a 1,000-yard receiver since 2019. Who would they have been to turn their nose up at Diggs?

More than that, who would I be to dismiss the borderline No. 1 receiver who finally, finally, agrees to play in New England — even if he’s past his prime? Especially after clamoring for one year after year after year.

You and I have watched through too much bad football to whine now; too many offenses with blah receivers who never put the slightest scare into defenses; too many stumbling, bumbling Patriots teams incapable of supporting a young quarterback.

Enough.

Bravo, Foxboro. You got your man.

Or, a man, at least.

Diggs was not the Patriots’ Plan A at receiver, nor their Plan B. The front office first failed in its pursuit of Calvin Ridley, Brandon Aiyuk, D.K. Metcalf and later Chris Godwin. Then, as they promised last month at the combine, they moved on to Plan C.

By pivoting, the Pats still filled the oldest hole on their roster. Plan Diggs worked because the Patriots have pivoted as an organization, one finally willing to pay premium prices for wide receivers, and in doing so padded its league lead in total spending, total guaranteed money spent and fully guaranteed money for this free-agent cycle.

(The second time in four years they’ve done that, by the way.)

The willingness to extend Diggs a three-year, $69 million deal with $26 million guaranteed secured the best receiver the franchise has fielded in almost a decade and its most accomplished in nearly two. Diggs will average a higher annual salary than Davante Adams and Godwin, and match Adams in total guarantees. A win for him.

On the field, he will become a go-to target for Drake Maye, who no longer is being forced to make chicken salad out of the NFL’s worst receiving corps. Diggs should also be a gift to the coaches in that he will solve a simple problem that’s dogged the Patriots for years: man-to-man coverage. A win for them.

Houston Texans wide receiver Stefon Diggs before an NFL game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in Foxboro. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Over the past two seasons, the Pats faced the third-most snaps of man-to-man in the NFL. According to Sports Info. Solutions, they are the only team to rank bottom-10 against man coverage by passer rating and completion percentage in both years.

Translation: their receiving corps stunk, and everyone knew it.

Diggs, meanwhile, converted 89% of his catches for first downs last year versus man coverage. Among wideouts, he ranked in the top half of the league when facing man-to-man, per Pro Football Focus grades. He also ranked as the third-best receiver by ESPN analytics, including a No. 7 Open score, which accounts for pass-catchers’ ability to separate versus man and zone.

And if you doubt the 31-year-old still had it last fall, when he was tracking for his seventh straight 1,000-yard season before the ACL tear, ask Christian Gonzalez.

Diggs beat Gonzalez for three catches and a touchdown during a 41-21 Texans romp at Gillette Stadium. He finished with six catches for 77 yards, right in line with his career averages against the Patriots. Over his four seasons with the Bills, he tortured the Patriots no matter who lined up across the way (including Pro Bowl cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore and J.C. Jackson) and no matter what Bill Belichick drew up to stop him.

The ACL tear obviously clouds whether he can punish Patriots opponents’ next season and creates long-term cause for concern, as two front-office executives noted late Tuesday night when reached via text.

If this deal busts, it will be because Diggs never recovered anything close to his old form.

Houston Texans wide receiver Stefon Diggs (1) reacts to his touchdown behind New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez during the second half of an NFL game on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in Foxboro. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

“I think (it’s a win-win). Would just have major concerns about the ACL and age,” one assistant GM wrote.

“Feels a little rich for a 31 year old coming off ACL,” an AFC executive shared. “But when you have a major need, it’s natural to overpay a little.”

The good news: a torn ACL is not what it once was.

Julian Edelman tore his ACL at 32, then returned and almost cleared 1,000 yards in just 12 games the following year. He even won Super Bowl MVP that season, an honor he followed with a real 1,000-yard campaign at age 34.

And the malcontent concerns?

I won’t dismiss the possibility, perhaps even likelihood, Diggs gets hot under the collar about a lack of targets sometime this season. He wants the ball, and isn’t quiet when he doesn’t get what he wants. It could make for some uncomfortable sideline moments and locker-room exchanges.

Fine.

That is the nature of virtually every No. 1 receiver. And if Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels can’t handle a wideout who wants the ball, what chance do they stand of establishing a winning culture anyway?

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I’ll tell you: zero.

Until Tuesday night, big-name receivers refused to come to New England; the chief problem for a front office that has been willing to spend big money the past 12 months but had zero takers (Ridley, Aiyuk and Godwin, to name a few). Diggs has fixed that.

The next step, if all goes well, will be attracting more players like him; growing New England into a legitimate free-agent attraction built on performance, not promise. Once he returns, Diggs will make life easier for Maye, who in turn should make life easier on the rest of the franchise.

Isn’t that enough of a sell?

Moments after the news broke Tuesday night, I mulled the deal over and texted a Patriots player.

This player is a thoughtful, level-headed veteran who usually responds after a few hours. But not this time.

“I think (Diggs) helps the team big time,” he wrote back immediately, “so I love it.”

Sometimes, it’s just that simple.