The Seattle Seahawks welcomed a new head coach in Mike Macdonald this offseason. Now they're kicking off a defensive overhaul, on Tuesday releasing both Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs, their starting duo of Pro Bowl safeties, according to NFL Media.
Adams, 28, and Diggs, 31, have a combined six career Pro Bowl nods, with the former also garnering three All-Pro honors. They've started more than 100 combined games for Seattle over the last five seasons. But their exit will save the Seahawks tens of millions against the 2024 salary cap, with Adams' release in particular likely to register $16.5 million in immediate savings as a post-June 1 cut.
Adams is the higher-profile name, arriving via blockbuster trade from the New York Jets ahead of the 2020 season. But he never played a full season in Seattle due to various injuries, failing to replicate the promise shown in a 9.5-sack Seahawks debut. After missing all but one game in 2022, he appeared in nine contests last season and was due $26.9 million in 2024 as part of a lucrative contract extension signed a year into his Seattle tenure.
Diggs was far more durable at the back end of the Seahawks' defense, appearing in every possible game for Seattle over the last four years. Acquired via trade from the Detroit Lions in 2019, he racked up 13 interceptions in his first two and a half seasons with the club, earning a three-year, $40 million extension prior to 2022.
Both veterans should command interest in 2024 free agency, and both are eligible to join new teams at any time, since they were outright released.
