The Super Bowl is officially in the books, which means the NFL offseason has officially begun. This will be an interesting season for much of the league, as many teams seem to be at crossroads right now. That said, few teams are entering the offseason happier than the Seattle Seahawks.
Many expected the Seahawks to be terrible after trading away Russell Wilson, but defied all expectations. Seattle finished the regular season 9-8 and earned the NFC's final Wild Card spot before falling to the San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs. Still, the future is bright in Seattle with Geno Smith winning Comeback Player of the Year and an outstanding rookie class, featuring Tariq Woolen, Kenneth Walker III, and more. The best part is that the Seahawks still got a top-five draft pick, as the Broncos imploded after acquiring Wilson.
Additionally, Seattle has a ton of cap space at a time when many teams are lacking it. The Seahawks currently have over $31 million in cap space, the seventh-most in the entire league. Most of that money will probably go towards re-signing Smith, but Seattle could make noise on the market this offseason.
However, that doesn't mean that the Seahawks won't make moves to create even more cap space. Depending on how much they give Smith, that cap space could disappear very quickly. With that in mind, it wouldn't be too surprising if they move on from some players to conserve some valuable cap space.
Without further ado, here is the most surprising cut candidate for the Seahawks this offseason.
Seahawks surprise roster cut: S Quandre Diggs
Since coming to Seattle during the 2019 season, Diggs has been a very good safety for the Seahawks. In just over three seasons in Seattle, Diggs has racked up 229 tackles and 17 interceptions, and he hasn't missed a game over the last three seasons. He has made the Pro Bowl in each of his three seasons in Seattle, showing how good he has been. It's crazy to think that all it took to acquire him from Detroit was a single fifth-round pick.
That said, there is a chance that Diggs has played his last game in a Seahawks uniform. But why would they decide to cut him if he has been so good for them? While it may seem absurd at first, there are a couple of reasons why it might happen.
The first and most obvious reason why the Seahawks would do this is due to the salary cap implications. Diggs has a cap hit of $18.11 million next season, tied with fellow safety Jamal Adams for the highest on the team. Paying over $36 million to two safeties is a bit much, and because Adams' contract is harder to get out of, Diggs could be the odd one out.
As for the savings, Seattle would get a good amount of cap relief by cutting Diggs. If the Seahawks cut him before June 1, they would save $9.9 million while taking a dead cap hit of $8.2 million. If they cut him after June 1, though, they would save $14 million and the dead cap hit would be only $4.1 million.
On the field, this move would definitely hurt the Seahawks' secondary. Diggs is Seattle's best coverage safety by far, compared to Adams who prefers to play more in the box. However, with Woolen headlining a solid set of corners, it's not an impossible hurdle to overcome. There's also a chance Seattle decides to add some secondary help in the draft.
Despite the on-field implications, there is undoubtedly a lot of financial benefit in this move. There's no guarantee that this happens by any means, but there is definitely a chance.
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