Former Seahawks $39 Million Safety Posts Strong Message After Exit

Getty Former Seahawks safety Quandre Diggs at State Farm Stadium on January 07, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona.

The Seattle Seahawks underwent major changes after hiring new head coach Mike Macdonald. In addition to saying goodbye to Pete Carroll, the most successful head coach in franchise history, Seattle made several roster moves to get cap-compliant.

The Seahawks released safety Quandre Diggs in March, a surprising move since he still had one year left on his three-year, $39 million contract. By cutting the 31-year-old, the Seahawks cleared $11 million in cap space.

While rumors swirled for months over where Diggs would ultimately land, the veteran broke the news himself that he was signing a one-year deal with the Tennessee Titans on August 4.

One day later, the three-time Pro Bowler posted a heartfelt goodbye message to Seattle. He posted on Instagram in part, “These past 4 1/2 years have been some of the best years of my life. Played some of my best football, made lifelong friendships, learned how to win along the way, and most of all continued to add to my family.”

“Throughout the journey there has been ups and downs but the highs have always been better than the lows,” Diggs continued. “To the 12’s I just wanna say thank you for believing in me and letting me become a part of your family.

“To John and Pete thank you both for believing in me twice I know I’ve told you guys plenty of times but you really rescued me and showed me you can win and have fun playing the game. To all of my teammates, coaches, trainers, eq staff, media team, and etc I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me everyday be the best version of me.”

Quandre Diggs Took a Massive Pay Cut to Sign With the Titans

While Diggs turns 32 in January, he’s still playing at an elite level. He started 72 games in Seattle over the past four-plus seasons. Last year, he registered a career-best 95 total tackles, 5 passes defensed, and 1 interception. During his tenure in Seattle, he tallied a total of 18 interceptions.

Tennessee appears to have nabbed a late offseason steal in Diggs. He signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Titans, with incentives up to $5 million, roughly half of his former salary with Seattle.

After Seattle cut Diggs, the 2015 sixth-rounder posted on X, “Got fired on my day off. Damn,” with a GIF from the movie, Friday. Diggs’ blunt message had some humor in it, but it wasn’t inaccurate.

Diggs’ presence will be missed in Seattle. Seahawks safety Julian Love commented on his Instagram farewell post, “Preciate you 6, while Jerrick Reed wrote, “Go be great brudda, thank you for welcoming me into the league 🤝🏾💙.”

Seahawks News: Quandre Diggs Reunites With Jamal Adams in Tennessee

GettyFormer Seahawks safety Quandre Diggs (L), former head coach Pete Carroll and former starter Jamal Adams (R) at Lumen Field on September 12, 2022.

Diggs will have at least one familiar face in Tennessee, as former Seahawks safety Jamal Adams also recently signed with the franchise. Adams still had two years left on his four-year, $70.5 million contract when he was cut by Seahawks this offseason.

While Seattle mulled over bringing Adams back as a linebacker, the polarizing veteran went on to sign a one-year, $1.2 million deal with Tennessee two weeks before training camp started.