October 22nd, 2019 was a maddening day for Detroit Lions fans. That was the day that the Bob Quinn inexplicably traded away safety Quandre Diggs for a 2020 fifth round pick. The Lions would go on to use that pick to draft running back Jason Huntley by the way.
Diggs would go on to be a three time Pro Bowler with the Seahawks. Huntley didn’t make it past roster cutdowns in his rookie year. He was last on the Colts practice squad this past season. Lions fans have been made ever since. Now there’s a chance for a reunion.
Diggs is now a free agent and I agree with fans, it would be awesome to see Diggs come back home to Detroit and do things the right way this time with no Matt Patricia around trading away good players that aren’t buying into his culture that, frankly, nobody was buying into. But it’s pretty unlikely to happen.
Diggs is arguably the best safety available in free agency now. There isn’t a ton of quality options on the market right now. The Seahawks didn’t let him go because he wasn’t good, they let him go because they couldn’t afford him and they needed to clear cap space. There are going to be several teams that are interested in Diggs and they’ll likely pay quite a bit to get him. There should be a bidding war.
The Lions also have things pretty well figured out at the position. They have Kerby Joseph and Ifeatu Meifonwu on cheap deals right now and they’ll probably bring back C.J. Gardner-Johnson on a deal that would likely be another prove it type thing. They’ll probably also look to draft a safety at some point in the draft. Having Diggs here is going to push someone out or take up money that the Lions need to fill other spots like cornerback or interior defensive lineman.
It sucks, but the Lions just aren’t in the position to make that happen right now and Diggs, who should have made his fourth straight Pro Bowl last year, is in a position to go out and get himself a good deal with a ton of playing time elsewhere.