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Seahawks releasing Bobby Wagner not shocking but still sad

By Lee Vowell

Jan 2, 2022; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks middle linebacker Bobby Wagner (54) stands on the sideline following an injury during the first quarter against the Detroit Lions at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 2, 2022; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks middle linebacker Bobby Wagner (54) stands on the sideline following an injury during the first quarter against the Detroit Lions at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /
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The same day that the Seahawks traded Russell Wilson, it was also reported that Seattle will be releasing future Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner.

The move to let Wagner go should not have come as surprise to anyone. Wagner was due to make north of $20 million in 2022 and while he is still a good player, very few players merit earning as much as Wagner was going to make. Will Wagner play somewhere else and be very productive next year? Likely, but just not with the Seahawks.

Releasing Wagner allows Seattle to save $16 million in cap space. The team now has the second-most cap room heading into the offseason in the NFL, per Spotrac. What Seattle does with that money is anyone’s guess because after Tuesday it seems like the team is in a complete rebuild so why overspend on a free agent when the team likely isn’t making the postseason in 2022.

But seeing Wilson and Wagner leave in one day is a gut punch to 12s. It was bad enough knowing Wilson wasn’t going to be the quarterback anymore. Waking up this morning I still had to check my phone to see if that horrible news was real. Sadly, it was.

Seahawks release of Bobby Wagner saves the team a ton of cap space

But seeing two future Hall of Famers being let go by the Seahawks on March 8th, 2022? That’s rough. I guess John Schneider and Pete Carroll decided to take the metaphorical band-aid off in one quick and painful pull.

Bobby Wagner wasn’t just one of the best players on recent Seahawks rosters; He was one of the best players to ever wear a Seattle uniform. He is an 8-time Pro Bowler and 6-time All-Pro. Wagner led the league in tackles twice and is Seattle’s all-time leader in the category.

But he will be 32 years old in Week 1 of 2022 and that is getting a bit elderly for an NFL linebacker. Plus, Seattle has to try to get younger and faster on defense and now is the time, with Wilson’s departure, to find Wagner’s long-term replacement.

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Hopefully one day Wagner will return and be inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor and hopefully, Wagner understands his release is just business. Wagner was a great player and a good guy in the locker room and off the field and he will be missed. But the time to let him go was now.

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