Seahawks coach offers thoughts on latest player to miss practice

Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll provided his thoughts on Quandre Diggs’ absence from practice, supporting his latest star to seek a new contract. Diggs joins starting left tackle Duane Brown in missing practice as both players follow in the footsteps of safety Jamal Adams, who secured a contract extension this offseason.

“I think he’s making a bit of a statement now,” Carroll said about Quandre Diggs missing practice on Friday, per NBC Sports.

Carroll has always been known as a players’ coach and continues to support his stars this offseason. From Russell Wilson’s frustration with the offensive line to the recent string of new contracts, the Seahawks coach continues to support his players.

In a previous statement about Brown, Carroll said his star was “making a statement about what he thinks needs to happen.”

Both Diggs and Brown are heading into the final year of their contracts. Diggs is set to make $5.95 million this season and has been a key member of the Seahawks secondary since he joined in 2019.

The 28-year-old free safety made his first Pro Bowl as a Seahawk in 2020, finishing the season with 64 tackles, a career-high five interceptions and 10 pass deflections.

Setting a precedent

After becoming the sixth overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft by the New York Jets, Adams has established himself among the best defenders in the NFL. In his four-year career, Adams has 356 total tackles, 21.5 sacks, seven forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, two interceptions and 28 passes defended. Last season, his first with Seattle, Adams had 83 tackles, 9.5 sacks and a forced fumble in 12 games.

Adams was an AP second-team All-Pro in 2018 and 2020 and a first-team selection in 2019.

The Seahawks and Adams reportedly reached a stalemate in the negotiations during the star’s time away from the practice field, but the two parties were able to reach an agreement earlier this month.

Adams and the Seahawks agreed on a four-year, $70 million deal according to Rapoport. The deal makes him the highest-paid safety in the NFL, and he gets $38 million guaranteed. Adams will earn $17.5 million per season, which is $2.25 million more than Justin Simmons, now the NFL’s second highest-paid safety.

The record-setting deal has now set the precedent for how Seahawks players can get the payday they are looking for, leading to the recent moves by Brown and Diggs. It remains unknown whether the players will continue to sit out when the regular season approaches, adding pressure to the Seattle front office.