Seattle Seahawks releasing longtime defensive captain Bobby Wagner, supply says

SEATTLE — A franchise-altering day for the Seattle Seahawks continued Tuesday night with the workforce informing All-Professional linebacker Bobby Wagner that he’s being launched, a supply instructed ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The information got here hours after Schefter’s report that the Seahawks have agreed to commerce quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos. The 2 franchise cornerstones who have been drafted on the identical day in 2012 now depart Seattle on the identical day 10 years later.

In releasing Wagner, the Seahawks are shifting on from their longtime defensive captain and one other participant who was among the many most impactful in franchise historical past.

The transfer will save the Seahawks $16.6 million in money and wage cap house whereas leaving a large gap in the midst of their protection. And it comes as no shock given Wagner’s contract, age (he’ll be 32 in June) and the noncommittal feedback coach Pete Carroll and normal supervisor John Schneider made eventually week’s NFL scouting mix.

Wagner himself puzzled aloud about his future because the Seahawks have been winding down a disappointing 7-10 season that led to a number of modifications on Carroll’s teaching workers. Amongst them was the firing of defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr., Wagner’s former place coach and certainly one of his strongest supporters within the group.

It isn’t clear whether or not a return to Seattle on a cheaper deal is in play.

For now, solely defensive finish Benson Mayowa — who left Seattle and returned in 2020 — stays from the 2013 Seahawks workforce that received Tremendous Bowl XLVIII. Wagner, chosen with Wilson on the second day of the 2012 draft, was the final remaining member of the star-studded defenses that led Seattle to its lone world championship and a return journey to Tremendous Bowl XLIX after the 2014 season.

Wagner will change into a free agent for the primary time in his profession. That comes with an attention-grabbing twist, as he continues to function his personal agent, which he did when he negotiated his three-year, $54 million extension in the summertime of 2019. The megadeal set a report for off-the-ball linebackers at $18 million per season and served as maybe the very best success story of a high-profile NFL participant dealing with his personal contract talks.

Two and a half years later, that contract has helped result in his launch.

Wagner, the Seahawks’ all-time tackles chief, was getting into the ultimate 12 months of the take care of a non-guaranteed $16.35 million base wage and one other $250,00zero obtainable in per-game roster bonuses. His $20.35 million cap cost was an unwieldly determine even with the Seahawks in OK cap form — and even with Wagner coming off a 170-tackle season that earned him his eighth Professional Bowl nod in 10 seasons.

Wagner posted that non-public finest regardless of lacking all however one snap of the ultimate two video games with a knee sprain; Carroll stated it might not require surgical procedure.

Requested about Wagner final week in Indianapolis, Carroll gave a conflicting reply that finally bolstered the uncertainty over whether or not he’d be again in 2022.

“We anticipate to play with Bobby,” Carroll stated. “We love enjoying with Bobby. He is been a fantastic participant, had one other nice season. At the moment of the 12 months, there’s loads of guys which are able the place we have to determine the place everyone suits collectively. Bobby’s been such a gradual a part of it and we might love to have the ability to play with him, so we’ll work in the direction of that. If we will do this, we’ll do it.”

Wagner’s launch leaves behind $3.75 million in useless cash.

Essentially the most logical in-house candidate to switch Wagner is Cody Barton, a 2019 third-round choose who has made 5 begins in three seasons. Barton began in Week 18 after Wagner harm his knee on the opening play the week earlier when his foot slipped as he tried to plant it on the moist turf at Lumen Fiend.

Earlier than his harm, Wagner hadn’t missed a single snap in 2021. His 170 tackles getting into Week 17 have been main the NFL and had damaged his personal single-season franchise report from 2016. Teammate Jordyn Brooks (184) broke the report in Week 18 with Wagner on the sideline.

Whereas Wagner did not make as many influence performs as in a few of his finest seasons, he recorded an interception, a sack, a pressured fumble and 5 passes defensed in 2021 en path to a second-team All-Professional choice.

In 2020, Wagner was certainly one of 22 defenders named by the Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame to the All-Decade Workforce for the 2010s. His Corridor of Fame-worthy résumé additionally consists of six first workforce All-Professional picks, two second workforce All-Professional picks and eight Professional Bowls nods, that are tied for second most in franchise historical past.

By the workforce’s rely, Wagner’s 1,381 profession tackles high the franchise’s all-time record by almost 400. He leads the NFL in tackles by greater than 150 for the reason that Seahawks drafted him within the second spherical out of Utah State in 2012.

In late December, Wagner answered within the affirmative when requested whether or not he puzzled about his future in Seattle.

“You consider it,” he stated. “You consider what the subsequent 12 months appears to be like like and what the long run holds as a result of this was a season that I do not assume all of us deliberate for. We did not plan for the season to go this manner, so clearly there’s going to be some modifications and whether or not or not I am a part of these modifications, I do not know.”

In that very same information convention, Wagner made it clear that he wasn’t contemplating retirement. Every week later, he struck a extra hopeful tune about remaining with the Seahawks.

“I perceive there’s a enterprise facet to this, however there’s loads of optimism on my finish that I will be again,” Wagner stated in early January. “So I am not nervous about it. Clearly, I can not management all the things. I can solely management my half. And my half on that is I really feel like I like this metropolis. I like this workforce. I like the Seahawks. So I all the time wished to be part of a franchise’s good instances and dangerous instances and each time. So this can be a workforce that I might love to have the ability to be part of for a really, very very long time.

“So on my finish, that is the place I am at, that I am a Seahawk till they inform me I am not. In order that’s my mindset. So I do not see it as that was my final sport or this subsequent sport could possibly be my subsequent sport.”

Wagner was requested what gave him optimism that he’d be again.

“I want to say that I am a reasonably good businessman and I want to say I’ve loads of respect right here,” Wagner stated. “So I am simply going to enter my businessman mentality and work some stuff out.”