Three Seattle Seahawks who deserve an extension today

Seahawks extension candidate number 3: Quandre Diggs, DB

Seattle did what they always do. They pulled off some out-of-the-blue trade for a player no one knew was available. Quandre Diggs was a leader and a difference-maker for the Lions. He was in the first year of his new 3 year contract. Yet, the Lions elected to trade him due to disagreements in the locker room with the head coach.

Diggs is an assassin in the secondary. He can quite literally play any position in the secondary. A true swiss army knife to the fullest meaning. In Seattle’s scheme, it appears he found a home position, as the starting free safety.

Seattle is known to not shy away from bringing in big personalities. Diggs may have been kicked to the curb in Detroit, but he is a perfect locker room presence and a leader in Seattle. The best part about it, he can flat out play.

During his 5 game stint in Seattle, he accumulated 3 interceptions including one pick-six. He had 21 tackles, 1 forced fumble and another fumble recovered. If Seattle needed a big play, he was the guy. He was truly an unsung hero of the Seahawks defense.

With so much young talent on the defensive side of the ball, it is imperative to have veteran leadership. This is especially true when you have a player who can quite literally coach up the entire secondary, because, well he has done it.

Diggs is under contract for two more years. So you could ask, why should Seattle extend him now. This is a fair question. My answer is simple, he has zero guarantees and is worth a lot more than he is currently making. This is a similar situation to Tyler Lockett.

There will likely be a changing of the guards at a lot of key positions during next year’s free agency. Locking down Quandre Diggs will keep a leader and ensure some continuity on the defensive side of the ball outside Bobby Wagner.

Current Contract:

Terms: 3 years, $18.6 million (on year 2)

Avg Salary: $6.2 million

Cap Hits by Year:

• 2019: $7.89 million
• 2020: $5.16 million (Current year)
• 2021: $5.55 million

As it is currently, Diggs has no guaranteed money in his contract with Seattle. He has only $350k in bonuses. Seattle can show faith in their new free safety and get him some cash today by offering a new contract with a heavy rate in bonuses.

My Proposed Extension:

Terms: 2 years, $19 million

Avg Salary: $9.5 million

Bonus: $9 million

It’s very likely the secondary market could explode. I would offer $9 million as a signing bonus. This gives the player some guaranteed money. It also puts some money in his pocket today. This will result in a level of stability for both player and team.

Total Contract With Extension:

Terms: 4 years, $29.71 million

Avg Salary: $7.477 million

Cap Hits by Year:

• 2020: $5.65 million
• 2021: $6.75 million
• 2022: $8.31 million
• 2023: $9.00 million

This contract would give Diggs top-15 safety money today. He would be tied to Seattle through his age-30 season. This will ensure Seattle has multiple players to build around long term.

Diggs has truly been a gem for the team. His versatility, leadership, and big-play abilities are something the Seahawks have been sorely missing. Keeping Diggs around long term makes sense on so many fronts.