Getty The Seahawks are moving on from Bobby Wagner.
As if the week could not get any worse for Seattle Seahawks fans, there is now a possibility that star linebacker Bobby Wagner may be suiting up for one of the team’s nemesis. The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar sees things potentially playing out similarly to when former Seahawks lockdown corner Richard Sherman signed with the 49ers in 2018.
“If/when Bobby Wagner’s reported release is official, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him land with a rival team in the NFC West, just like Sherm did in 2018,” Dugar tweeted on March 8.
Despite months of rumors predicting this could happen, the Seahawks releasing Wagner still seemed unimaginable, especially on the same day that the team also traded the best quarterback in franchise history. It is the end of an era in Seattle, but a new one could begin with Wagner inside the NFC West.
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Could the Rams Go All-in on Wagner?
The 49ers have had no problem plucking away former Seahawks players. Niners star defender Fred Warner idolized Wagner and would likely love to play alongside the legendary linebacker. The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrique believes the “all-in” Rams also cannot be ruled out, especially if they lose Von Miller in free agency.
“The Rams do not financially invest in ILB, have FA needs elsewhere and they LOVE Ernest Jones and don’t want to shrink his snaps,” Rodrigue responded to Dugar’s tweet. “But…I don’t think at this point we can ever rule them out of conversations about players of Wagner’s caliber. Especially if there’s some financial flexibility and/or they lose Miller.
“…Not trying to stir up Twitter at all, I think there are logical points to making a push for him but also understand the limits of their build, how scheme impacts the resources they put into this position and other variables that could prevent it (OL questions, Miller, $).”
Wagner’s Release Officially Begins the Seahawks’ Rebuild
It is hard to imagine Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll saying the word rebuild, but it is clear Seattle hit the nuclear option as if the front office was playing the general manager mode in Madden. Wagner was slated to have a $16.3 million salary with a $20.3 million cap hit as he entered the final season of his three-year, $54 million contract.
During the NFL Combine, Carroll insisted that the Seahawks would work with Wagner to try to ensure he was on the roster in 2022. That was in the final days of the Wilson era, but Seattle is now entering a new time period that comes with plenty of questions.
“Well, we expect to play with Bobby,” Carroll noted 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.”