Seahawks’ Quandre Diggs Wants New Deal
Jamal Adams isn’t the only Seahawks player seeking a lucrative extension. Free safety Quandre Diggs also wants a fresh contract, as Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic writes. 
[RELATED: Latest On Seahawks, Adams]
Diggs reported to minicamp and participated in all of the assigned drills, but he wants a new pact to reflect his performance. As it stands, he’s set to enter the final year of the three-year, $18.6MM deal he originally signed with Detroit. Diggs is fresh off of his first ever Pro Bowl selection — last year, he notched five interceptions and ten passes defensed, solidifying himself as one of the stronger safeties in the NFL. Meanwhile, his salary ranks 19th at the position.
The Seahawks don’t have much of a contingency plan if Diggs leaves, and they haven’t been able to draft well for the safety position outside of Earl Thomas in 2010. The Seahawks certainly want to keep Diggs, but a new deal for the 28-year-old would probably cost north of $12MM. If they don’t lock Diggs up now, they’ll run the risk of a much higher price tag. The Seahawks should also be motivated to get a deal done before other safeties sign their next deals. Marcus Maye (Jets) and Marcus Williams (Saints) are both gunning for extensions to replace their one-year, $10.6MM tag for 2021.
Still, the Seahawks will have to rank and balance their priorities. In addition to Adams and Diggs, they could also explore an extension for veteran lineman Duane Brown.
Poll: Who Is Bucs’ Top NFC Challenger?
While the Chiefs reside as the clear favorites in the AFC, multiple successful rebuilds have strengthened the conference and created considerable depth going into the 2021 season. In the NFC, depth is harder to find.
The Buccaneers operated aggressively this offseason, bringing back every starter and most of their top off-the-bench contributors to chase another championship, and late-June betting odds reflect this. Tampa Bay resides as the clear NFC favorite, per Las Vegas. The team did not enter 2020 on this pedestal, but the NFC landscape looks less imposing a year later.
The Saints exited the 2020 season in a new tier of salary cap hell, and although GM Mickey Loomis navigated it, their 2021 team may take a step back. Oddsmakers certainly believe this will be the case in the franchise’s first post-Drew Brees season. New Orleans has been the NFC’s most consistent team over the past four years, going 49-15 in that span, but its future Hall of Fame quarterback retired. Tampa Bay’s path back to the Super Bowl also may not involve another Canton-bound passer — Aaron Rodgers — which further muddles the equation.
January’s Matthew Stafford trade seems a good place to start. The Rams dealing two first-round picks and change for the longtime Lions passer provides Sean McVay with a quarterback upgrade, and the team perpetually unconcerned with first-round selections is operating like an all-in contender. Los Angeles, which Bovada gives the NFC’s second-best odds to advance to Super Bowl LVI, also re-signed top edge rusher Leonard Floyd. While the Rams’ penchant for big swings and big extensions led more key role players out of town in free agency, with safety John Johnson and defensive lineman Michael Brockers exiting, they return four starters from Pro Football Focus’ No. 3-ranked offensive line.
But the NFC West may be the NFL’s toughest division. No rebuilds are taking place here, separating it from most of the league’s divisions, and the 49ers rank alongside the Rams — per Bovada — in Super Bowl odds. San Francisco endured vicious injury fortune last season but has Super Bowl LIV starters — Nick Bosa, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel — due back from injury. And the team kept Trent Williams — on an O-line-record contract. Kyle Shanahan‘s squad also moved the needle at quarterback, bringing in Trey Lance at a historic cost. Lance’s readiness may determine the 49ers’ outlook. Although Jimmy Garoppolo was effective (12th in QBR) when fully healthy in 2019, he missed 23 games over the past three seasons.
The Seahawks diffused Russell Wilson trade rumblings and added veteran guard Gabe Jackson. Their defense will be without Jarran Reed and probably K.J. Wright next season, however. Seattle has not advanced to an NFC championship game since Wilson’s rookie-contract years but still has the division’s most accomplished quarterback. The Cardinals brought in multiple impact starters, in future Hall of Famer J.J. Watt and Pro Bowl center Rodney Hudson, in an effort to capitalize on Kyler Murray‘s rookie-deal window. But Murray struggled down the stretch last season, and Arizona will have two new cornerback regulars.
Rodgers’ commitment to being done in Green Bay represents the NFC’s biggest domino. The reigning MVP has not budged, and this standoff is expected to drag on to training camp. The Packers trading Rodgers, or the superstar passer being out of the picture while the team retains his rights, will probably take them off the board as a Super Bowl threat. Given the Packers’ 26-6 performance over the past two seasons, Rodgers’ status looms large in this year’s Super Bowl equation.
What sleeper teams realistically factor in here? The Cowboys extended Dak Prescott and hired a new defensive coordinator (Dan Quinn), but they have won one playoff game during their now-wealthy starter’s tenure and allowed a franchise-record 473 points in 2020. Washington boasts one of the league’s best defenses but opted against trading up for a quarterback in Round 1. Ryan Fitzpatrick will turn 39 this year and has never made a playoff start. The Bears did trade up for a passer, and the Vikings retooled their defense. The Giants made multiple splashy receiver additions but have big questions up front. Do any of these teams qualify as legit Bucs obstacles?
Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your NFC assessments in the comments section.
Who is the Buccaneers' top NFC challenger?
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Another team (specify in comments) 26% (818)
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Los Angeles Rams 25% (771)
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Seattle Seahawks 17% (527)
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San Francisco 49ers 16% (509)
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Green Bay Packers 15% (480)
Total votes: 3,105
Bills Sign Nazair Jones, Eli Ankou
The Bills will take a flier on a former Seahawks third-round pick. They signed defensive lineman Nazair Jones on Tuesday, adding him to the roster after defensive end Bryan Cox Jr. suffered an Achilles injury during minicamp.
Cox is now on IR, and Jones will attempt to make his way back to the field. The North Carolina alum has not played in a regular-season game since the 2018 season.
The Seahawks drafted both Jones and fellow interior D-lineman Malik McDowell during the 2017 draft’s second day, adding the former late in Round 3. Jones started two games as a rookie, registering two sacks and three tackles for loss. Injuries intervened soon after. A foot injury ended Jones’ rookie year, and a knee malady sent him to IR ahead of the 2019 season. The Seahawks waived Jones just after the 2020 draft.
Buffalo signed ex-Jones Seahawks teammate Quinton Jefferson last year but moved on after one season. The Bills are still fairly deep at defensive tackle. Star Lotulelei is back after his 2020 opt-out; he joins former first-round picks Ed Oliver and Vernon Butler and ex-third-rounder Harrison Phillips on Buffalo’s defensive interior.
This mix will also include Eli Ankou, who joins Smith as a defensive tackle headed to Buffalo. A former UDFA, Ankou has played 27 games (two starts) since 2017. The UCLA alum suited up for seven games with the Cowboys last season.
Seahawks’ Jamal Adams Deal Imminent?
The Jamal Adams minicamp holdout has not produced reports of acrimony between he and the Seahawks. The Seahawks excused Adams’ absence from minicamp, and Pete Carroll described his extension talks as amicable.
An agreement may be on the immediate horizon. All signs are pointing to an extension being finalized around the start of training camp, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Adams is going into a contract year; he is set to earn $9.86MM on the fifth-year option.
Given what Seattle traded to acquire Adams — 2021 and ’22 first-round picks, a ’21 third and safety Bradley McDougald — it can be easily assumed the impending extension will make him the NFL’s highest-paid safety. Justin Simmons currently holds that distinction, after signing a four-year Broncos deal worth $61MM. Adams will surely try to move the price north by a notable margin.
The Seahawks have authorized top-market extensions before, giving Russell Wilson a then-NFL-record $35MM-per-year deal in April 2019 and extending Bobby Wagner at the current off-ball linebacker high-water mark ($18MM AAV). They appear poised to include Adams in this blueprint. Wagner signed his current deal around the start of Seattle’s 2019 training camp and agreed to his 2015 extension in early August of that year. Wilson’s first extension (in 2015) occurred days before Wagner’s.
The Seahawks also might create a bit more cap space ahead of an Adams deal, with Carroll also signaling the team’s interest in keeping Pro Bowl left tackle Duane Brown beyond his 2021 contract year.
Adams thrives as a box safety and set a position record with 9.5 sacks last season. This unique skill set, while leaving some coverage skills to be desired, figures to factor into the 25-year-old defender’s negotiations. The former Jets top-10 pick began extension discussions way back in January 2020, when he was still a Jet, but talks paused and the Jets traded him to Seattle. The Seahawks communicated to Adams a preference he play on his rookie deal last season. Adams did so and made his third straight Pro Bowl. His second NFL team looks set to reward him.
Seahawks Open To Duane Brown Extension
Russell Wilson and Jamal Adams have resided as the Seahawks’ top priorities this offseason, but the team has not forgotten about its Pro Bowl left tackle. Duane Brown joined Adams in not participating at the team’s minicamp, though the veteran blocker did attend while the All-Pro safety stayed away.
Also joining Adams in a contract year, Brown is pursuing an extension. The Seahawks, who traded for the former Texans first-round pick during the 2017 season, appear onboard with such an approach. Although Brown is going into his age-36 season, Pete Carroll is open to keeping him beyond 2021.
“He’s a big part of what we’re doing and we’re counting on him being with us. We’ll look down the road together and we’ll see what’s the right thing to do,’’ Carroll said, via the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta. “… We would love for him to be with us. If he wants to keep playing, we want him to keep playing.”
[RELATED: Seahawks Confident On Jamal Adams Deal]
The 14th-year lineman has delivered upper-echelon left tackle play for the Seahawks, and Wilson made upgrading the team’s offensive line an issue earlier this year. Seattle acquired Gabe Jackson via trade, but Brown remains the team’s most accomplished blocker. Pro Football Focus tabbed him as the league’s fifth-best tackle last season.
Exiting minicamp, Brown’s $11.5MM-per-year deal ranks 16th among left tackles. None of the tackles ahead of Brown on the salary list are older than him, however. Brown’s age should cap his earning potential on a fourth contract, but he should be able to secure additional guarantees in the near future. No guaranteed money remains on his 2018 extension.
Another extension would also create cap space, reducing Brown’s $13.3MM 2021 cap number, that would help with an Adams extension. The Seahawks currently have just more than $8MM in cap space.
K.J. Wright Not In Seahawks’ Plans?
There’s been some back and forth all offseason, but it appears like things are close to being set in stone with outside linebacker K.J. Wright and the Seahawks. It doesn’t sound like he’ll be coming back for an 11th season in Seattle.
Pete Carroll said a couple of weeks ago the door was open for Wright to return, but Brady Henderson of ESPN.com writes that he’s not in the team’s plans. Wright has said since February that he wanted to return to the Seahawks, but not at a discount. However, Henderson writes the team’s decision is “only partly about money.”
Instead, it’s “mostly because the Seahawks want their top two draft picks from 2020”, Jordyn Brooks and Darrell Taylor, to become starters next to Bobby Wagner at linebacker in their defense. In other words, the team just wants to get younger on defense, which is understandable.
Wright is the longest-tenured member of the team, and has started at least 12 games in all of his pro seasons except 2018 when he dealt with a knee injury. However, the 2011 fourth-round pick will also turn 32 in July.
Wright won Super Bowl XLVIII with the team, and made the Pro Bowl in 2016. One of the last members of the legendary ‘Legion of Boom’ defenses of yesteryear, it sounds like Wright will need to find a new home if he wants to keep playing. He did say in late March he was interested in playing for the Cowboys, with his old defensive coordinator Dan Quinn now coaching in Dallas.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/16/21
The Seahawks made today’s only minor moves:
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: TE Dominick Wood-Anderson
- Waived: RB B.J. Emmons
Seahawks Confident On Jamal Adams Deal
Angling for a new contract for the second straight offseason, Jamal Adams is staying away from Seahawks minicamp. But the team has excused Adams’ absence, stopping any fines from piling up.
Pete Carroll confirmed Adams contract talks have begun, but ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson reports these negotiations have not produced much movement yet. The team nevertheless remains confident a deal will be finalized.
“It’s been ongoing and it’s been amicable throughout,” Carroll said of the Adams extension talks. “We recognize that he’s a fantastic football player and we’re in the midst of, it’s a big contract process. But I know he knows he’s been treated with a lot of respect and he’s been very respectful towards the club as well. They’ve been good talks. It just hasn’t been able to get settled at this point, but it’s coming.”
Carroll stopped short of saying he expects an extension to be completed by the start of training camp, but after the Seahawks traded two first-round picks for Adams, it is fairly clear they view him as a part of their future. Carroll expects Adams to show for training camp. The 2020 CBA made holdouts more difficult to wage, so Adams will face significant financial penalties were he to remain away from the team during training camp.
The Seahawks informed Adams they did not intend to complete an extension last year, with Henderson adding the uncertainty regarding the 2021 salary cap factored into the former top-10 pick playing out the fourth year of his rookie deal (at $3.59MM) last season. Now tied to the fifth-year option, Adams is set to earn $9.86MM this season.
Broncos star Justin Simmons stands as the league’s highest-paid safety at $15.25MM per year, setting that new high-water mark earlier this year. Meanwhile, Landon Collins leads all safeties in full guarantees at $44.5MM. Despite Adams doing his best work in the box, he is a three-time Pro Bowler who is one of the best at his position. It will likely take a new safety-record deal for the Seahawks to lock in the 25-year-old standout long-term, given his lengthy quest for a second contract. Should the Seahawks fail to hammer out an agreement with Adams this year, they will have the franchise tag at their disposal come March.
Rashaad Penny Underwent Offseason Knee Surgery
The Seahawks’ Rashaad Penny draft choice surprised most at the time, and the first-round pick has not lived up to the team’s expectations. A 2019 injury did the most to sidetrack the running back’s career.
The ACL tear Penny sustained in December 2019 continues to impact his status. Penny underwent surgery on the same knee this offseason, Pete Carroll said Tuesday. Although Carroll called the operation a cleanup procedure, per ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson (on Twitter), the 12th-year Seahawks HC generally veers toward the overly optimistic side when assessing injuries.
Penny is not participating fully at the Seahawks’ minicamp, though Carroll said the fourth-year back is getting some work in. The 2019 knee injury and subsequent surgery sidelined Penny for most of the 2020 season, but he is expected to be ready for training camp this year. The Seahawks did not activate Penny until mid-December of last season — more than a year after the tear — and he logged just 11 touches in the three games he played last season. Seattle did not pick up his fifth-year option in May, turning the 2021 season into a contract year.
Penny’s knee injury halted a season in which he was averaging 5.7 yards per carry; the San Diego State product had amassed 203 rushing yards in his previous two games. The Seahawks brought in Carlos Hyde as a Penny substitute in 2020 but let him defect to the Jaguars this year, thinning out the depth chart behind Chris Carson.
The recently re-signed Carson remains Seattle’s starter, but the team does not have much in the way of experience behind Penny. Recent Day 3 picks Travis Homer and DeeJay Dallas and second-stint Seahawk Alex Collins represent the other notable names on the depth chart. Considering Carson missed four games last season, the competition for the Seahawks’ third-string back stands to be more relevant than such battles usually are.
Seahawks’ Duane Brown Wants New Deal
Duane Brown is heading into his age-36 season, but the Seahawks left tackle does not sound like he is planning a near-future retirement. Ahead of his fifth season in Seattle, Brown wants another raise.
The contract-year blocker wants a new deal, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter). The Seahawks extended Brown in July 2018 — less than a year after trading for him. That $11.5MM-per-year contract was not a top-tier left tackle deal at the time and is well off the pace now.
A four-time Pro Bowler, Brown has provided the Seahawks left tackle stability by giving an annually embattled offensive line a blindside anchor. Brown’s salary, however, ranks 16th among left tackles. Brown is set to earn $10MM in base salary this season.
The 14th-year vet does not intend to hold out, however, per Garafolo, but this is now one of many contract situations to monitor around the league. He is at the Seahawks’ minicamp but not participating in on-field work, per the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta (on Twitter). The Seahawks have another of these situations unfolding on their roster, though Jamal Adams is not in attendance.
While Brown’s age stands to limit his earning potential in his final NFL seasons, his request for a second Seahawks extension comes months after Russell Wilson made critical comments about his team’s O-line approach. Although the team traded for guard Gabe Jackson, Brown obviously serves as a key cog in Seattle’s O-line equation. Wilson attempted to walk back some of his winter comments last week, but the franchise QB made the O-line an issue publicly and behind closed doors. Brown moving for more security now makes sense.
Prior to Brown’s arrival, the Seahawks were in their second season without Russell Okung. Brown has provided the team with a reliable left tackle. Despite Brown being 35, Pro Football Focus tabbed him as the league’s fifth-best tackle last season. PFF has slotted Brown as a top-25 tackle in each of his four Seahawks slates. Considering Wilson’s comments and Brown’s recent form, it would not surprise if the Seahawks and Brown agreed on a short- or medium-length extension before the season.