Franchise Tag day is so often never easy for any NFL player, and Quandre Diggs got the worst of it.
Diggs was one of Seattle’s victims, taking to social media to announce the shocking decision. He will join teammates Will Dissly and Jamal Adams in Free Agency, saving the Seahawks approximately 34 million as a result of cutting all three. He will almost certainly be able to fetch many suitors once the new League Year begins next Tuesday.
Got fired on my day off. Damn pic.twitter.com/agseQevXdB
— Nino (@qdiggs6) March 5, 2024
Quandre Diggs, Seahawks Already Enduring a Difficult Period
Make no mistake about it, the post-Russell Wilson era has been surprisingly difficult on the Seahawks. Despite completing the last two seasons with winning records, securing a Wild Card berth in 2022, longtime coach Pete Carroll stepped down after the regular season concluded. This stunning decision only continued to fuel belief that the Seahawks would be moving to rebuild their franchise, and without a tag on Quandre Diggs or Jamal Adams, this may only be the beginning for Seattle.
Diggs Has Been one of the Best at this position
Drafted out of Texas in 2015, Diggs began his career with the Lions that same season. Despite a slow start, by his third season Diggs had already started rising through the ranks of NFL safeties. By the time he joined Seattle midway through the 2019 season, Diggs had already collected nine career interceptions and assisted the Lions in making the postseason in 2016.
Once in Seattle Diggs’s player only further accelerated. Joining the team at the trade deadline in 2019, he became one of the faces of the post-Legion of Boom Seahawks defense, assisting the team in making the postseason in 2020 and 2022. In four and a half seasons in the Pacific Northwest, Diggs has collected an astonishing 15 interceptions and was named to three consecutive Pro Bowls from 2020 to 2022. Diggs now leaves Seattle after his age-30 season.
Where could Quandre Diggs Go In Free Agency?
Lions fans already want to bring Diggs back. But Diggs, who has ascended to become one of the very best at the safety position since leaving Detroit, is sure to fetch a hefty price tag. But Diggs, who had left the Lions amidst a season where they would finish 3-12-1, might just field the idea of returning to what the Lions have become since that trade. The Lions experienced major successes for the first time in three decades in 2023, and are expected to only continue to maintain their newfound success going forward, especially as they charge to a Super Bowl.
As for Seattle, finding premium talent at the safety position is rare. They may not even attempt to find premium talent in Free Agency and seek to draft a player at the position come April. But after the Giants engaged in their own confounding move involving a star player of their own, Seattle might just come calling for his services in new HC Mike MacDonald’s defense.