News broke on Tuesday, Oct. 22, when the Detroit Lions traded starting safety Quandre Diggs (along with a 2021 seventh round draft pick) to the Seattle Seahawks for a 2020 fifth round pick. Detroit just defeated the New York Giants with a score of 31-26, making their record 3-3-1 and placing them third in the N.F.C. North. Quandre Diggs was a trade deadline casualty because of the deadline being Oct. 29. Diggs was drafted by the Lions in the sixth round (200th overall) of the 2015 N.F.L. draft and has been a starter on the defense since 2017. This comes as a surprise because the Lions gave Diggs a 3 year contract extension last year. Diggs is known for being one of the hardest hitting safeties in the league and is a leader on defense and a fan favorite. But why? Why would Lions GM Bob Quinn trade such a fan favorite for a seemingly small return?

Diggs has been having a down year only notching 20 combined tackles without a single interception. However, this trade still caught many off guard, including teammates Darius Slay and Kerryon Johnson, who were not afraid to voice their opinions on the trade. Head coach Matt Particia and general manager Bob Quinn have stated that they are happy with the depth at safety led by Tracy Walker, rookie Will Harris, and former Patriot Tavon Wilson.  

The Lions are losing a fan and locker room favorite, Diggs was a focal point of that defense. Lions cornerback Darius Slay has shown his displeasure with the trade, Slay immediately went to social media to vent. He said that there is no “loyalty” in the N.F.L. Slay himself has been linked to trade rumors. Running-back Kerryon Johnson also voiced his opinion (via twitter), ̈ well today was a tough day personally…my dawg… I’m going to miss the hell out of you.̈  Johnson was also referencing the surgery he had on his knee Thursday morning, resulting in him being placed on the injury reserve list.

“It is a bad trade, they got only a 5th round pick that’s not really worth much,” said junior Austin Hart.

 Looking on the bright side, the Lions have young up and coming players in Walker and Harris, but are they ready to fill Digg’s shoes or could the Lions be gearing up for a big move?