Quandre Diggs has made a habit of breaking news about the Seahawks.
Why should that be any different?
The 31-year-old safety, who announced Bobby Wagner's return to Seattle last spring and the restructuring of his own contract last summer, posted two words on social media at 10:50 a.m. Tuesday:
“Forever grateful.”
Likewise, Seahawks fans should be grateful for Diggs' nearly five-year tenure in Seattle, which effectively ended Tuesday. The ball-snapping security came in perhaps the most important trade of the John Schneider era, when Seattle sent a meager fifth-round pick to Detroit in October 2019. In 72 games since then, the pride of Angleton, Texas, has racked up an impressive 18 interceptions. earned three Pro Bowl nods and established himself as an invaluable leader in the franchise's post-Legion of Boom secondary.
So there's no denying that Diggs' release – reported six minutes after his social media post and officially announced less than two hours later – is having a dark impact in Seattle.
It's also the right move for a franchise that wants to literally start a new chapter.
The same goes for Jamal Adams and Will Dissly, who were also released.
Adams' long-speculated departure is unlikely to cause such sadness. The mercurial safety was acquired from the New York Jets for a herculean haul that included a pair of first-round draft picks, a third-round pick and established safety Bradley McDougald. It seemed that this was the foundation for sustained greatness – a former sixth overall pick with no significant injury history, a 24-year-old pass-rush torpedo entering his prime, a reigning first-team All-Pro and his successor – back Pro Bowler.
To jumpstart a deteriorating defense, Schneider and then-coach Pete Carroll made a huge pushback…with promising early success.
Considering everything that happened afterward, the 2020 season might seem like a dream now – Adams' 83 tackles and 9.5 sacks (in just 12 games), the most ever for a defensive back; The celebrating safety lit a victory cigar in the postgame press conference after the Seahawks secured a division title.
(Admittedly, he lit the wrong side of that cigar, perhaps foreshadowing the team's 30-20 wild-card flop against the Los Angeles Rams two weeks later.)
Of course you know what happened next. There were injuries, a torn labrum in 2021 and a torn quadriceps tendon in 2022, that forced Adams to miss 30 games over the last three seasons. There have been incidents — two sideline tirades directed at concussion doctors last fall and a social media storm that resulted from a reporter's wife's safety taunt.
There were touchdowns — like the ones he allowed to San Francisco's Deebo Samuel and Dallas' Jake Ferguson in 2023 — that represented mounting evidence of chronic incompetence in coverage.
There were no bags.
In fact, since Adams secured his last sack against Washington on December 20, 2020, 26 Seahawks (and another Adams) have done the same:
Jarran Reed. Alton Robinson. Benson Mayowa. Rasheem Green. Bobby Wagner. Carlos Dunlap. Darrell Taylor. Kerry Hyder. Jordyn Brooks. Uchenna Nwosu. Quinton Jefferson. Bruce Irvin. Boye Mafe. Shelby Harris. Dre'Mont Jones. Leonard Williams. Devon Witherspoon. Myles Adams.
There are eight more, but let's save space when printing. You understand what's important.
Meanwhile, Jamal Adams — who signed a four-year, $72 million contract in 2021 that made him the NFL's highest-paid safety — has long since stopped doing what he does best.
Production has stopped. The goodwill is gone.
So, yes: it's time to go.
Meanwhile, Diggs and Dissly's declining production also made them expendable. After snagging 14 interceptions and earning Pro Bowl nods over the previous three seasons, Diggs managed just five passes defensed and one pick in 2023 (while earning an overall grade of 55.1 from Pro Football Focus, 87th). among the safeties and one place ahead of Adams). At 31 With Diggs having nine NFL seasons under his belt, his regression is more of a harbinger than an outlier.
Remember, Kam Chancellor was 31 years old when a neck injury officially ended his NFL career. Earl Thomas was 29 when he left Seattle to play briefly with the Baltimore Ravens while recovering from a broken leg.
Circumstances change, but top-notch Seattle safeties rarely excel until their mid-30s. It's the job of Schneider and new coach Mike Macdonald to champion statistics and prioritize sentimentality.
Likewise, the 27-year-old Dissly was a respected teammate during his six seasons in Seattle (more so, considering his previous four seasons at the University of Washington). But did his production — 127 catches, 1,421 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns in 72 career games and never more than 34 receptions in a season — match the three-year, $24 million contract he signed in 2022?
Dissly, a former fourth-round pick, dropped from 60% to 39% last season while managing just 17 receptions for 172 yards and a single score. The 6-foot-1, 265-pounder has long been considered a reliable blocker… but at that price, you're paying more.
Speaking of which, the three releases save the Seahawks $34.5 million in cash and nearly $25 million in salary cap space. They leave the team with $36.2 million in total cap space and $28.7 million in effective cap space (which takes into account salaries tied to future draft picks), via OverTheCap.com.
Suddenly these Seahawks have room to spend.
That and holes that need to be filled.
Seattle needs to find a starting safety to partner with Julian Love, the versatile 25-year-old who stepped up at the end of last season. Maybe it's Baltimore's Geno Stone, a free agent who grabbed seven interceptions (most by safeties) under Macdonald's leadership as defensive coordinator in 2023. Maybe it's an up-and-coming rookie, although there are currently zero safeties who are considered proven first-round picks. Maybe it is (insert your favorite free agent safety here).
Seattle will also have to deal with a suddenly empty tight end room, considering Noah Fant and Colby Parkinson may also be free agents.
On Tuesday, Schneider and Macdonald took the necessary steps to give this franchise the flexibility it needs to build. They armed themselves with ways to convert cap space into sustainable success.
But will fans be grateful for what happens next?
The Seahawks are in the loop.