Re-Signing Quandre Diggs Already Looks Like Bargain For Seahawks
Just 24 hours after news broke about the Seahawks agreeing to terms with Pro Bowl safety Quandre Diggs on a new multi-year contract, general manager John Schneider and the front office have to be jumping for joy seeing what other safeties are being paid on the free agent market.
Early on Monday, per multiple sources, Diggs signed a three-year, $40 million contract worth $13.3 million per year. While guaranteed dollars have yet to be disclosed, his salary per year made him the ninth highest paid player at his position, a substantial raise from his previous contract. Coupled with Jamal Adams' record-breaking four-year, $70 million contract, Seattle will have nearly $30 million on the books at the safety position next year.
But since reports surfaced regarding Diggs' new deal, the Ravens handed former Saints safety Marcus Williams a five-year, $70 million deal worth $14 million per year. That deal should provide a baseline for Tyrann Mathieu's new contract, which could push upward to $16 million per year or more, thus knocking Diggs out of the top 10 once again.
While Mathieu has earned that money as a three-time First-Team All-Pro selection and Williams' new contract could end up being a relative steal for Baltimore down the road given his youth at 25 years of age, when comparing resumes, Diggs stacks up favorably against both players.
Since 2017, the 29-year old Diggs has intercepted 19 passes, two more than Mathieu and four more than Williams. He returned two of those picks for touchdowns, equaling Mathieu and posting one more defensive score than Williams. While he finished last among the three in passes defensed per Pro Football Reference, he still had 37 during that span behind Matheiu's 42 and Williams' 38.
Per Pro Football Focus, Diggs allowed only 11 passing touchdowns in coverage on 165 targets over the past five seasons. Mathieu yielded 16 scoring passes, albeit it on significantly more targets (365) lining up all over the field, while Williams allowed 10 touchdowns on only 90 targets.
From a tackling standpoint, Mathieu has played more snaps near the line of scrimmage either as a slot corner or a strong safety in the box, presenting more opportunities to get involved in the run game and blitz the quarterback. Consequently, it shouldn't be a surprise he has amassed nearly 50 more tackles than Diggs or Williams since 2017 and also has 7.0 sacks and 14 quarterback hits while the other two players have combined for a pair of sacks and three quarterback hits.
Considering his all-around production, Mathieu deserves to be one of the top paid defenders in the game, let alone safeties. Even at 30 years old, he looks to have plenty of great football left in him and with the Chiefs choosing to replace him with a younger Eric Reid instead, another team will invest big bucks to acquire his services.
As for Williams, being four years younger than Diggs and five years younger than Mathieu obviously bolstered his value in free agency. He may be just entering his prime and playing in an aggressive Ravens defense, more picks could be coming for him in future seasons, setting him up for Pro Bowl or even All-Pro success. General manager Eric DeCosta deserves props for adding him to the mix at a cost that looks to be more than fair market value.
But when it comes to defending the pass and locking things down in center field, Diggs has been just as impressive, if not better, than his veteran peers. No safety has been more reliable hawking the football over the past five years, as he's the only defensive player in that span to have at least three picks every single season. When opposing quarterbacks test him, they tend to get burned. Just ask his former teammate Matthew Stafford, who got picked by Diggs twice last year.
So why didn't Diggs command more money in free agency? Coming off a fractured fibula that required surgery, Diggs' overall market may have been impacted by the injury and questions about his recovery. With him closing in on 30, some teams may not have been as eager to pony up top dollar to sign him as he approaches 10 years in the league for age-related reasons.
But in today's pass-happy NFL, an elite coverage free safety is simply invaluable and should cost a premium. Add in the fact that Diggs has proven time and time again that he can lay the wood as a big hitter and provides invaluable leadership on the field and in the locker room and there's no question he belongs in the category of the NFL's elite. With him expected to make a full recovery, the Seahawks should feel blessed they were able to lock him up for the price point that they did.
