Quandre Diggs expresses comfort with team, faith in recovery as reasons to remain with Seahawks
INGLEWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 21: Seattle Seahawks Safety Quandre Diggs (6) celebrates after catching a pass for an interception during an NFL game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams on December 21, 2021, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles,
Seattle Seahawks safety Quandre Diggs expressed comfort with the team, faith in his recovery from a broken leg, and assurance that the team isn't entering a full-blown rebuild as his reasons for re-signing with the team this offseason.
"It's good to be back somewhere where I'm comfortable, around some people that I know, giving us another opportunity to go back and try to figure this thing out," Diggs said on Wednesday.
Diggs, 29, spent the last two-plus seasons in Seattle after being acquired in a midseason trade from the Detroit Lions in 2019. He signed a deal with the Seahawks reportedly worth $40 million over the next three seasons. Diggs is coming off consecutive Pro Bowl seasons in Seattle and set a career-high with 94 tackles last season. He's got 10 interceptions in his two full seasons in Seattle and 13 in total since joining the team.
Diggs' season ended on an unfortunate note as he sustained a broken leg in the final quarter of the final game of the season against the Arizona Cardinals. Diggs said he is on track in his recovery and feeling good about where he's at in the rehabilitation process now 10 weeks removed from the injury.
"I just finished up rehab you know, doing a lot of different tricks, back flips, front flips, cartwheels, so I think I'm doing pretty good progress," Diggs deadpanned.
Diggs said the Seahawks' belief in him through his recovery was another contributing factor to him staying.
"For them to continue to believe in me and trust in me and stand by me through my injury, you know, I think that's been pretty dope," he said.
Diggs said he had around 15 teams contact him during free agency with interest in potentially adding him. In the end, Diggs was comfortable with Seattle.
"Just being somewhere the coaches trust me, the people in the building know me. I just think every time we can back to it, Seattle was the best place for us to be," Diggs said.
With Russell Wilson being traded to the Denver Broncos and Bobby Wagner released after 10 years each with the franchise, the Seahawks easily look like a team entering a rebuild. Head coach Pete Carroll has adamantly denied the notion saying he's trying to win now despite the departures. Diggs said he spoke with Carroll about the future of the team and was told the Seahawks aren't rebuilding.
"It's always tough to see a guy like Russ go, to see Russ and Bobby go, and it's just like, 'sheez, what mode are we in?'" Diggs said of his reaction to the moves. "Being able to talk to Pete, being able to understand that we're not in a rebuild mode, we're tried to get this thing back rolling and build a team differently a little bit."
Plans can always veer off-course and a year of struggles ahead for Seattle wouldn't be a shock given the team's decisions this offseason. But the hope from the team is that this is a reset and not a rebuild and that they can find a way to win with the vision of football Carroll has relied upon for decades.
For Diggs, that was still a vision he wanted to be a part of.
"I had to make a decision based on myself and myself and my family. Me, myself, my agent, we thought this was the best decision for us," Diggs said.
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