The Los Angeles Rams released Bobby Wagner on Thursday. This saved the Rams about $5.2 million but Wagner, the former Seattle Seahawks linebacker, will still cost the Rams $7.5 million in dead cap. Los Angeles must be really hurting since releasing Wagner doesn’t really save them that much money. The real out for LA with Wagner would have come after the 2023 season when he would only account for $3 million in dead cap.
And let’s be honest, Bobby Wagner was really good for the Rams in 2022. Both times the Seahawks faced Wagner they were seeing face-to-face a big reason why Seattle’s defense wasn’t as good as hoped this year. In two games against Seattle in 2022, Wagner had a combined 2 sacks, 14 tackles, an interception, and 4 tackles for loss. Seattle could have used a linebacker like Wagner this past year.
Overall in this past season, Wagner set a career-high for sacks with 6, a career second-best with 10 tackles for loss, and had double-digit (10) quarterback hits. He was named second-team All-Pro by the Associated Press. Wagner will be 33 years old when the 2023 season begins but he can still play at an extremely high level. Now he can sign with anyone he wants to and here are three key options for him.
Bobby Wagner free agent option No. 1: The Seahawks (of course!)
There are so many reasons to try to bring Wagner back to Seattle. One is that he is really good and would have been the best linebacker the Seahawks had in 2022. If he returns, he will be the best linebacker Seattle has in 2023. That is whether Jordyn Brooks returns healthy enough to play at the start of the season or not. Linebacker Cody Barton is a free agent and if the Seahawks think they have any chance of re-signing Wagner, Barton should be allowed to walk away without a second thought from Seattle.
Wagner’s numbers were higher in 2022 for the Rams than they probably will be for the Seahawks in 2023 simply because of the design of Los Angeles’ defense. But this doesn’t mean Wagner would be ineffective. Adding Wagner back to Seattle makes Seattle’s defense better. Period.
Wagner would be a veteran presence in the middle of the field for a Seahawks defense that is probably going to get younger and younger on defense. Is there any chance some rookie doesn’t respect Wagner’s thoughts in the locker room? Not a chance. General manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll should already be on the phone apologizing for how Wagner was let go last offseason and pay Wagner to come back.
Former Seahawks linebacker potential landing spot 2: The Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings underperformed this past season and a huge reason for it was that their defense wasn’t as good as expected. And one reason their defense wasn’t as good was that their linebackers were mostly aged and slow. True, Wagner isn’t young himself, but he proved in 2022 that he still has more than enough speed to help a defense. Minnesota is still in some kind of window to be successful and adding Wagner helps them compete next season.
Minnesota’s record this past year was misleading. Yes, they were 13-4 and made the playoffs. They also scored 424 points but gave up 427 points. They were in a division that was terrible at the beginning and got better. Detroit will likely start off better next season and so might the Bears.
If the Vikings get off to a slow start in 2023, they will be sunk. One way to make sure that doesn’t happen is to improve the defense. The Vikings are currently negative-$21,319,469 under the cap next season. But they can create a bunch of cap room by releasing linebackers Eric Kendricks and Jordan Hicks. In fact, releasing them more than makes room for Wagner.
If I was a Minnesota fan, and I most definitely am not, I’d want Wagner on my team. How much will he command in salary? Who knows? The contract Wagner signed with the Rams last offseason only guaranteed him $5 million total over five seasons. He will likely only get $10 million (with just a bit of that guaranteed money) or less from a new team this offseason.
Former Seahawks linebacker potential landing spot 2: The New England Patriots
No one wants Bobby Wagner to go to the Patriots for several reasons. First of all, we all hate the Patriots, right? Secondly, it would be super annoying to see Wagner in a Patriots uniform because it simply makes way too much sense. Wagner is a smart player and Bill Belichick is a smart coach who would know how to get the best out of Wagner.
New England also has a ton of money to spend, should they want to, on Wagner. New England currently has the seventh-most cap room ($37,821,222 and is one notch ahead of the Seahawks in available cap space) but doesn’t want a quarterback so the money they do have can go to other positions. New England should have a good defense under Belichick, but again, nearly every team would be better with a player like Wagner.
At least if Wagner were to go to New England, the Seahawks wouldn’t have to play him. Seattle doesn’t face New England in 2023 unless that is in the Super Bowl which would be very unlikely. Watching Wagner play the Seahawks theoretically twice a season for many years after he went to Los Angeles was hurtful enough.
Bobby Wagner is his own agent. That might not be in his best interest financially, but it does mean he also has some kind of emotional stake in who he signs with. Hopefully, Wagner will remember the welcome 12s gave him at Lumen Field when he returned to play Seattle in Week 18. 12s want Wagner back and hopefully, he will come back to the Seahawks. Seattle’s defense will be better if he does.