The Seattle Seahawks used to not have a lot of past legends floating around the NFL in free agency, but that time has changed. Currently, several icons are trying to find new homes, and that includes future Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Bobby Wagner.
Wagner has left Seattle twice, the last time coming after the 2023 season. The first time wasn't of his choosing. He was released by Seattle, and he signed with the Los Angeles Rams. He returned to the Seahawks the following season, but left after one year and has played for the Washington Commanders the last two seasons.
Has Wagner's level of greatness dropped off precipitously? Not so much. Between 2014 and 2024, the linebacker was named either First-Team or Second-Team All-Pro. While he wasn't named to either this past season, he still has 162 tackles. He also has stayed remarkably healthy, not having missed a game since 2018 and only two total since the beginning of the 2015 season.
Seattle Seahawks icon Bobby Wagner is still looking for a new home
Still, the Commanders don't appear to want Wagner back and are instead looking to be younger at the position. The Seahawks legend will turn 36 before the 2026 season, and while he doesn't miss games, most teams don't want to risk signing an off-ball linebacker of that age.
He almost certainly won't return to the Seahawks because there is no spot for him to play. Ernest Jones IV was named Second-Team All-Pro in 2025 and is seen as one of the key leaders of the team. Drake Thomas will likely play next to Jones, and is only 26 years old, and has shown flashes of explosiveness.
Wagner also can't cover running backs and tight ends that head coach Mike Macdonald needs from his inside linebackers. The LB is an elite player in nearly every phase of the game, except in coverage.
In 2025, while he had two interceptions, he had a quarterback rating allowed of a not-good 107.2. He gave up a career-high 12.9 yards per catch, too.
Should a team choose to sign Bobby Wagner in free agency, what it will be getting is a player who is still a fantastic tackler (he whiffed on only 4.8 percent of his tackle attempts last season) who can get occasional pressure on quarterbacks, and will be exceedingly good against the run.
He isn't going to be a long-term contributor in the middle of the defense due to his age, but he could be a missing link for an otherwise great defense. If he wants to continue to play, he is worthy of doing so.
Whenever Bobby Wagner does retire, though, he should forever be remembered for what he really was: A Seattle Seahawks great first who happened to play for a couple of other teams.