5 players the Detroit Lions need to prioritize in free agency
By Bob Heyrman
The Detroit Lions should also consider a reunion with Quandre Diggs.
A couple of weeks ago, it seemed the Seattle Seahawks might use the franchise tag on veteran safety Quandre Diggs. They did not. The tag amount for a safety in 2022 was $12.9 million, which is in the neighborhood of what Diggs should command on the open market annually.
Diggs is coming off of a gruesome injury where he suffered a broken fibula and dislocated ankle in the final week of the regular season. This injury may force the 29-year old into a cheaper, shorter-term than he once anticipated.
Diggs should remain on Detroit’s radar. The two-time Pro Bowler is coming off a career year, making 94 tackles and hauling in five interceptions. For that, I still expect to see Diggs earn somewhere between $10-12 million annually on a multi-year deal.
Diggs spent parts of five seasons with the Lions before things imploded under Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn’s leadership, or lack thereof. In the five years, Diggs appeared in 65 games, making 40 starts totaling 215 tackles, 12 of which came for a loss, along with pulling down six interceptions.
In Detroit, Diggs primarily played as a strong safety but flipped to free in Seattle, and the change paid off in a big way. In two and a half seasons with the Hawks, Diggs compiled a whopping 13 interceptions in 38 games earning a Pro Bowl bid in each of the last two seasons.
Earlier in the offseason, Diggs expressed his desire to remain in Seattle with the Seahawks, but that was before the organization decided to blow the doors off their organization by trading franchise quarterback and future Hall Of Famer Russell Wilson, along with their long-time heartbeat on defense, another future Hall Of Famer Bobby Wagner.
The Seahawks got a significant return for Wilson from the Denver Broncos, which included two first-round picks, two second-round picks, quarterback Drew Lock, and more. The organization decided to release Wagner on the same day, which further signaled a wholesale rebuild.
Seattle also recently rewarded Jamal Adams with a massive four-year deal worth $70 million last offseason. The Detroit Lions need to consider a reunion with Diggs and allow him to play as a free safety this time around. Will the organization be willing to pay a pair of safeties nearly $30 million per season? Unlikely.
Other options include Marcus Maye, Jordan Whitehead, Jabrill Peppers, Jaquiski Tartt.