On Tuesday, most were surprised by the decision of the Lions to trade defensive back Quandre Diggs to the Seahawks. Diggs was one of them.
“I was blindsided by it honestly,” Diggs told reporters on Wednesday. “Me and my daughter were taking a nap and I just kept getting phone calls. Then I got on the phone with my agent and he said, ‘You’re headed to Seattle.’ I was like, ‘I’m asleep, what do you mean? It’s an off day.’ He said, ‘You got traded to Seattle.’ So, that was kind of it. I had to call the G.M. of the Lions, I called the head coach of the Lions, and they told me what it was and I’m a Seattle Seahawk.”
Diggs was asked how they explained the decision to trade a team captain.
“They just said they wanted to send me to Seattle,” Diggs said. “The whole team captain aspect, that’s tough. I worked my tail off for those guys in that locker room. I’ve changed the way I went about business around there. It’s tough, I love those guys, I’m going to miss those guys but, I guess that’s just how things go.”
Multiple Lions teammates spoke out in support of Diggs on Twitter, and he appreciated that.
“Those are my guys for life,” Diggs said. “All those guys in the locker room, the tough days we had during camp, the tough days we had during this season -- those things will never be forgotten. I’m going to miss those guys. I’ll stay FaceTiming those guys all the time. It’s just tough when you’re in the middle of the season, the middle of the grind with your guys. I could see when it’s something you expected, but when it just comes out of nowhere it’s tough. But those guys will continue to be the great players that they are. I wish the best for those guys.”
Diggs must now adapt to his new surroundings, quickly. He has to get comfortable with a new defense, a new locker room, a new coaching staff, a new city, a new everything.