Will Seattle open the checkbook for Quandre Diggs?

With Free Agency just around the corner, the Seattle Seahawks have more than a few noteworthy names that are worth keeping an eye on. Among these players is Quandre Diggs, the veteran safety and former University of Texas Longhorn standout who has capably manned Seattle’s center field since 2019.

After seeing the team take chances on players like Tedric Thompson following the notorious departure of Earl Thomas III, I am more hopeful now than ever that the front office will bust out the checkbook and retain Diggs’ services. Fortunately, the team appears to share this concern, as Corbin Smith of Seahawks Maven reports that the Seahawks are opening negotiations with the talented defensive back ahead of the legal tampering period.

As Field Gulls own John Gilbert reported earlier this week, the Seahawks’ defensive backfield is set to see multiple starters (or at least players who played significant first team snaps) hit the open market; in addition to Diggs, D.J. Reed and Sidney Jones are both headed towards free agency. With the obvious shakeup of a change at defensive coordinator, we have yet to see how this may impact the direction that the team seeks to go in roster construction. That being said, I sincerely hope that the Seahawks value continuity in their backfield and make a strong push to retain Quandre and D.J., particularly.

While the franchise tag is technically an option, the likelihood that the team will go this route with Diggs seems unlikely. As a player who has made two consecutive Pro Bowls and has generally looked like one of the best and most consistent players on a largely inconsistent defense, Quandre is likely to be coveted if he reaches open negotiations. In spite of his tragic injury in the final game of the season, recovery is reportedly going well and he has otherwise started every game over the last two seasons. In this short time, he has also climbed his way to fifteenth on the team’s All-Time interception leader boards after picking off a gaudy ten passes over the last two years (13 total since being traded to Seattle). For a team that has struggled to create turnovers in the passing game since the dissolution of the Legion of Boom, retaining a rangy ballhawk with a fierce tackling instinct seems like a no-brainer.