Getty Bobby Wagner before the January 12, 2020 playoff game against the Packers.
Was there any chance that Bobby Wagner was getting recruited elsewhere outside of the Los Angeles Rams?
Better yet, was it a $140 million quarterback Wagner knows too well who played the role of closet recruiting coordinator and tried to get the perennial All-Pro linebacker to join him?
The newest member of the “Rams House” spoke with “The Rich Eisen Show” on Tuesday, April 19 to reveal the conversations he had between himself and his now former quarterback teammate Russell Wilson — which included Wagner clarifying some comments made with the longtime NFL network personality.
Where Wagner’s Heart Really Was
To start: Wagner never requested a trade from the Seattle Seahawks. Nor did he demand to be released by the team that drafted him in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft.
But did he know what would become of his longtime QB teammate Wilson? Who was once given a four-year, $140 million deal to extend his stay in the Pacific Northwest long before the blockbuster March 2022 trade?
“I knew about it,” Wagner told Eisen about the possibility of the ‘Hawks sending their former franchise quarterback away. “The funny thing was, he actually called me a few days before, maybe even a week before, and asked me what were my thoughts about going there (to the Denver Broncos).”
Wagner’s response was?
“I don’t have any thoughts. My heart is in Seattle,” Wagner said. “So I didn’t really went that far. So I knew that it was really close. For him to call me and ask me a question like that, I knew that there was a chance that it was going to happen. So I was like ‘He’s probably leaving. I should probably be prepared, for sure.'”
Russell Wilson called Bobby Wagner a week before his trade was announced to see if he can get Wagner to join him at the Denver…
Bobby really said “nah, my heart is in Seattle” 😭 😭 (h/t @_twinmohammed)
Ultimately, Wagner received the surprise news from the Seahawks front office that he was going to get released — ending a 10-season run with the franchise that saw him become one of the league’s most dominating inside linebackers with eight Pro Bowls and six All-Pro nods. Wagner also joined Wilson as part of the only Seahawk teams to witness back-to-back Super Bowl appearances in franchise history.
Wagner Clears Up Recruiting Chatter
But was there really recruitment involve on Wilson’s side once he became a Bronco?
Wagner took to his personal Twitter account to clear up any misunderstandings that may have been perceived about “B Wagz” possibly heading to the Rocky Mountains with the man he won Super Bowl 48 with.
“To clarify — Russ wasn’t recruiting me, just two close friends talking. We both talking about wanting to stay in Seattle. Just didn’t happen that way,” Wagner tweeted on the morning of Wednesday, April 20.
Wagner has already began to hit the ground running with his newest franchise.
The Rams began their offseason program on Tuesday next to the Cal Lutheran campus in Thousand Oaks. And already, Wagner showed up and got featured in this team video detailing day one of offseason work for the Super Bowl 56 champs:
The Rams also got Wagner on film “in the lab” in his new NFL surroundings.
In the lab with @Bwagz. 💪