To be fair, Bobby Wagner wasn’t at his best last season with the Seahawks. Whether he was playing hurt or just had the kind of off-year that’s inevitable when you play in the NFL this long we don’t know, but in any case it doesn’t excuse the way Seattle’s front office treated him last offseason after 10 years of nothing but high class and excellence.
Not only did the Seahawks not offer Wagner a paycut or a restructure heading into the final year of his contract, he found out he was being released when Adam Schefter broke the news on Twitter. Pete Carroll and John Schneider have since taken blame for what they’ve called a communication error, but that should have never been a possibility.
Wagner went on to sign with the division rival Rams, which the Seahawks will almost-certainly come to regret. In their first meeting against Wagner he nearly carried LA to a victory by himself despite starting John Wolford at quarterback and missing almost all of their most-important players. Wagner also balled out in their second meeting and performed well all year.
Now that the regular season is over, Wagner is understandably feeling vindicated. Wagner returned to his usual top-notch form in 2022, earning the highest Pro Football Focus grade at his position. He’s also been named to his ninth-straight All-Pro team.
Upon hearing the news, Wagner shared it with a “they said I was done” and demanded some respect on his name.
They said I was done. I just want respect when you mention my name. https://t.co/0gC9f6Qbab
— Bobby Wagner (@Bwagz) January 13, 2023
Hats off to Bobby for another magnificent campaign in what will surely be a Hall of Fame career.
We’d like to think that eventually Wagner and the organization will repair the bridge and he’ll retire with the Seahawks. However, until then fans should expect him to be a major thorn in their side twice a season.
