There is little chance that linebacker Bobby Wagner returns to play for the Seattle Seahawks. He has twice been given leave to join another team. That is one more time than many teams give a player or a player gives a team. Wagner is a future Pro Football Hall of Famer and should always be seen as a Seahawk, but he is not a good fit in head coach Mike Macdonald's defensive system.
The wonder is how good Wagner has remained even though he is now in his mid-30s. Since 2015, he has only missed two games total, and he has been named First- or Second-Team All-Pro every year since 2014. He spent this season with the Washington Commanders and was graded as the third-best linebacker in the league, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Everything Wagner has done recently implies he will still be good in 2025, and beyond. He has no business being as good as he is when he will be 35 years old by the start of next season, but Wagner has always been a marvel. Still, he has never been consistently good in coverage, and Macdonald requires that from his linebackers. Wagner is not coming back to the Seahawks.
Former Seahawks Pete Carroll and Bobby Wagner appear destined to team up again with the Raiders
He has shown a willingness to work with coaches he knows and feels comfortable with, however. One reason Wagner signed with the Commanders last offseason is he had played under Washington head coach Dan Quinn when Quinn was the defensive coordinator for Seattle from 2013 through 2014.
The Commanders seemingly like Wagner and should make a run at re-signing him, but they also drafted a linebacker last year who they might want to play in 2025.
One potential landing spot for Wagner is obvious, though. Pete Carroll, who coached Wagner from 2012 through 2021 and again in 2023, is now the new head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. Like most teams, the Raiders have a need at linebacker. Their two starters from this past season, Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo, are both free agents. Wagner would be an upgrade.
Carroll also needs Wagner to help reset the culture with the Raiders. Wagner and Carroll will know exactly what the other needs and what the other wants on defense. Wagner would be the natural leader that Carroll must have on the field and in the locker room. Again, he is also a very good player.
There is also a chance that the linebacker joins another former Seahawks player, Russell Wilson, with Las Vegas. Wilson is also a free agent. The Raiders have plenty of money to spend this offseason, and, most likely, neither the quarterback nor the linebacker is going to be overly expensive to sign. In other words, there is a decent chance 12s see the three most impactful people of the Seahawks organization since 2010 all be part of the Las Vegas Raiders in 2025.