Getty Bobby Wagner and Russell Wilson react.
The Denver Broncos were a rumored landing spot for All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner. On March 14, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Russell Wilson was recruiting Wagner to reunite with him in Denver.
Russell Wilson isn’t officially a Bronco yet, but he’s doing his best to improve the roster — by recruiting Bobby Wagner to play with him in Denver, per sources.
Former teammates that played 10 years together in Seattle could reunite, though Wagner has an expansive market.
However, Wagner did not sign with the Broncos. Instead, Wagner signed a five-year contract worth $50 million with the Los Angeles Rams.
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Wagner Sheds Light on Talks With Russell Wilson
Wagner was a guest on the Rich Eisen Show. Eisen asked Wagner if he had any knowledge about the Wilson trade before it happened.
Wagner offered an interesting response:
I knew about it. The funny thing was he actually called a few days before maybe even a week before, and just you know asked me what were my thoughts about going there. I was just like I don’t have any thoughts. My heart is in Seattle. So, I ain’t really went that far. So, I knew it was really close for him to call me and ask me a question like that.
Wagner clarified the statement on Twitter.
So, it appears Wilson asked Wagner about his thoughts on the Broncos, but Wilson was not actively recruiting him.
One thing is abundantly clear: Wagner did not want to leave the Seattle Seahawks.
Wagner played for the Seahawks for ten seasons. In Seattle, he amassed an incredible resume. During his Seahawks’ tenure, Wagner was a Super Bowl Champion, eight-time Pro Bowl selection, six-time first-team All-Pro, and a member of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.
Following the Wilson trade, the Seahawks elected to release Wagner. In the midst of a rebuild, the 31-year-old Wagner did not align with the Seahawks’ timeline for contention. Releasing Wagner also saved the Seahawks $16.6 million in cap space.
Shockingly, Wagner tweeted that no one in the Seahawks’ organization informed him of his release.
Crazy part about all this. I played there for 10 years & I didn’t even hear it from them that I wasn’t coming back.
Considering Wagner said that his “heart was in Seattle”, it is surprising that the Seahawks could not negotiate a contract restructure with Wagner or at the very least have an honest conversation with him.
Jalen Ramsey and Aaron Donald Began Recruiting Wagner Immediately
The Rams were aggressive in their pursuit of Wagner. During a press conference on April 4, Wagner mentioned that Jalen Ramsey and Aaron Donald reached out to him immediately after he was released by the Seahawks.
As soon as I got done when the Seahawks released me, I had Aaron Donald hit me up and Jalen Ramsey hit me up. So they were in communications pretty quick. The process for me was just, at this point in my career, I wanted to be at a place that I could be happy and be a place that was close to home. To be able to be in this situation, close to family, it was important to me, but then to add on a winning organization, it was kind of the cherry on top.
As Wagner mentioned, being close to family played a role in his decision. Wagner was born in Los Angeles, CA, and he went to high school in Ontario, CA.