Breakups rarely come with happy endings as the Seattle Seahawks and Bobby Wagner are displaying with a very public divorce. The Seahawks released Wagner hours after trading away franchise quarterback Russell Wilson on March 8.
Despite posting a tribute video and inviting fans to write Wagner thank you letters, there appears to be a different story behind the scenes. Wagner took to Twitter to break his silence about his release and revealed the Seahawks did not inform him he had been cut before the move became breaking news.
“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,” Wagner tweeted on March 12.
While there are always two sides to every story, it is hard not to take Wagner at his word. The star linebacker is giving fans a glimpse of what can be a brutal business, even for the NFL’s elite players.
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Sherman Indicated the Same Thing Happened to Him With Seahawks
Wagner’s tweet caught the attention of NFL players across the country and was even retweeted by Seahawks star DK Metcalf. Former Seattle corner Richard Sherman implied the same thing happened to him with the Seahawks. Sherman quote tweeted Wagner and posted a meme with comedian Dave Chappelle.
“Believe me, I know how that feels,” Sherman’s GIF read.
Earlier this offseason, Sherman predicted the release of Wagner along with Wilson to be traded. More than a month later, Sherman’s predictions came true and Wagner called the cornerback a “prophet” on the day of the Wilson trade.
“I think at the end of the day, Seattle fans are going to hate to hear this, because it’s just, they hate accountability these days, but they’re probably going to get rid of Bobby [Wagner],” Sherman noted during his January 28 podcast. “And once you do that, that’s it. You’re in [a] rebuild, I don’t care if Russell’s there or not there, you’re in rebuild mode if Bobby Wagner is not there. …Because you either die the hero or you live long enough to become the villain and everybody’s learning that the hard way.”
Carroll at the NFL Combine: ‘We Expect to Play With Bobby’
Overall, it has been an odd week of events for Seahawks fans after the team indicated during the NFL Combine they were intent on keeping Wilson and Wagner. Days later, Seattle parted ways with both indicating the beginning of a new era with no players remaining on the roster from the 2014 Super Bowl team.
“Well, we expect to play with Bobby,” Carroll said during his March 2 press conference. “We love playing with Bobby. He’s been a great player, had another great season.
“At this time of year, there’s a lot of guys that are in a position where we’ve got to figure out where everybody fits together. And Bobby has been such a steady part of it, we’d love to be able to play with him, so we’ll work towards that. If we can do that, we’ll do it.”
The Seahawks Are Getting Torched After Wagner’s Tweet
Thank you Seattle for everything. It will forever be my home.
It is no wonder that Wagner may want to remain inside the NFC West which gives him an opportunity to play against the Seahawks at least two times a year. As Sports Illustrated’s Corbin Smith pointed out, this is an extremely bad look for the Seahawks franchise, especially as they attempt to attract free agents in the coming days.
“Bobby has been nothing but class for this organization and city and he’s been one of the best players in the league for a decade,” Smith tweeted. “If the front office didn’t inform him this was coming, that’s really poor business.”
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Star LB Bobby Wagner Throws Shade at Seahawks After His Release