Seahawks may need to pay both safeties before 2022

While Seahawks fans know that Jamal Adams wants and needs an extension past 2021, Adams’ fellow safety Quandre Diggs wants an extension too. Per Michael-Shawn Dugar of the Athletic, Diggs, who is entering the final year of the three-year deal he signed with the Lions prior to being traded to the Seahawks mid-way through the 2019 season, wants to get paid a bunch after 2021.

Of course, Diggs’ fellow Seahawks safety Jamal Adams will be entering the final year of his current deal and Adams is going to get paid lots of money. $20 million a season has been thrown around but whatever contract Adams signs will likely be less than that number.

Still, Seattle gave up two first round picks and more to acquire Adams so letting Adams walk away to another team seems out of the question. This means a chunk of the Seahawks cap space heading into the 2022 season will need to be spent on re-signing Adams.

Seahawks will need to find the money to keep Quandre Diggs

How much room would this leave for Diggs? While it might be easy to say, “I am OK with letting go of Diggs to save money to sign other players,” we should also remember that Diggs is coming off likely his best season in the NFL.

In 2020, Diggs set career highs in interceptions (5) and passes defended (10) along with making his first Pro Bowl. Diggs and Adams form a very good back end of the Seahawks defense. Diggs is the Earl Thomas to Adams’ Kam Chancellor.

No, Diggs isn’t as good as Thomas was but he isn’t that far off either and he is clearly one of the better free safeties in the league. He also won’t turn 30 years old until after the 2022 season and likely has several more good years to play.

Seattle will have quite a bit of cap space after 2021 and possibly more if something is done with Bobby Wagner’s contract. But Seattle also has to find the money for Jamal Adams and D.K. Metcalf and others. If Diggs has another good year with Seattle then the Seahawks should find the money to keep him around too.