Bobby Joseph Wagner is an American football linebacker of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football league. On Tuesday evening, All-Pro linebacker Wagner informed the Associated Press that he would be released, news that he received from Adam Schefter.
The news was brought to light hours after the report of Schefter that the Seattle Seahawks have finally agreed to release Wagner while the Seahawks move on from their defensive captain.
The team has also planned to trade Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos. It is expected that Seattle will make this release official this Wednesday.
The departure of the linebacker is not surprising at all, but it is just another sign of a huge rebuild that will soon occur in Seattle. This move will most likely save the team an amount of $16.6 million and a massive salary cap charge but leave a huge hole right at the center of their defense. This does not pose as a surprise given the contract of Wagner, who will turn 32 in June, along with the non-committal comments made by John Schneider, general manager, and coach Pete Carroll during NFL scouting last week.
What made Wagner think about his future was that the Seahawks were winding down 7 to 10 seasons with utter disappointment, leading to many changes during Carroll’s coaching.
Bobby Wagner is a 6-time All-Pro, and he is likely to be a Hall of Famer in the near future. However, he sustained a huge salary cap of $20.6 million charges for this season during the closing year of his existing contract. It was not very likely to believe that Seahawks would finally reintroduce Wagner while facing this massive hit on the salary cap.
Seahawks coach, Pete Carrol, said at NFL Combine last week that the team loves to play with Wagner as he has always been an excellent player. The player has set a high bar in his career in tackles, especially in the 2021 season with 170. However, he missed a major part of the final two games, suffering from a knee injury during the opening season of Week 17 against Detroit as well as the finale that was held against Arizona.
Towards the end, Wagner himself admitted that he comprehended the whole situation with regard to this salary cap in the next season, and he mentioned the possibility of a move by the Seattle Seahawks. However, he expressed his willingness to continue playing.
Prior to the finale, Wagner stated in December that it is normal to wonder what next year or the future looks like. He added that this season was unanticipated as no one had planned for it to happen this way, and hence, there are going to be certain changes, whether or not Wagner himself is a part of the change. This news brought a certain level of excitement in the football betting industry and it may raise the odds in the market.
Wagner played a huge role in the 2012 celebration of Seattle’s draft, selected during the second round in Utah. The footballer was a natural starter and is considered to be one of the greatest defenses in recent times. Wagner became the first-time All-Pro in the 2014 season, where he missed around five games as a consequence of a serious toe injury.
