Clayton: Seahawks in great shape after resolving Brown, Diggs contracts
Sep 9, 2021, 2:23 PM | Updated: 4:32 pm
Safety Quandre Diggs is the second key Seahawk to get a restructured deal this week. (Getty)
(Getty)
The Seahawks resolved their contract problems but didn’t have to go overboard financially.
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This week they got deals done with left tackle Duane Brown and safety Quandre Diggs. Neither player got a contract extension. What the Seahawks did was restructure their contracts.
Brown received roughly $7 million guaranteed but didn’t get a deal for next season. Diggs did a similar thing by getting $5.05 million. That may not have been exactly what both players were seeking but the deals were good enough to end their hold-ins and go back to practice. Both players are now preparing for the season opener Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.
You may notice around the league that a lot of restructured contracts are getting done. In those deals you replace base salary with signing bonus. For the Seahawks, that created more salary cap room. For the players, they don’t have to worry about the next cycle in which they get paid over a 39-week period. They get their money upfront. It goes right into the bank.
These deals give Seahawks general manager John Schneider even more flexibility to add talent during the season, so it’s probably fitting that Brown and Diggs did those deals. They were both acquired by Seattle through in-season trades. Both have been selected to the Pro Bowl. Brown is one of the top 10 left tackles in football and Diggs is a play-making safety who makes turnovers and makes big hits.
Last year, Schneider acquired defensive end Carlos Dunlap, who helped turn around Seattle’s pass rush in the second half of 2020. He also restructured his contract to fit under the cap.
The Seahawks entered the week with more than $12 million of cap room. Now the Seahawks can take their time to see if they can get long-term deals with Brown and Diggs. But the crisis for now is over. They got a long-term deal with Jamal Adams and they kept Russell Wilson happy by taking care of players he likes and respects.
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