Bobby Wagner has been a force to be reckoned with throughout his long and storied career. The tenth-year linebacker has earned a reputation as the most consistent defensive player for the Seattle Seahawks over the past decade in a sizable quantity of such players. A six-time First-team All-Pro, two-time Second-team All-Pro, eight-time Pro Bowler, and a key contributor to Seattle’s Super Bowl run and sustained success, there is no doubt he will be headed to Canton when all is said and done.
With that said, the Seahawks must make a decision on Wagner’s future this offseason along with that of numerous other key players. As it stands, Wagner is a potential cap casualty; he has a cap hit of over $20 million in the final year of his current contract and the Seahawks could save $16.6 million in cap space by releasing him, according to Spotrac.
The team possesses approximately $51 million in available cap space for next season per OverTheCap.com but the Seahawks could spend a good portion of it on free agency and at least a small portion will be necessary to sign the players they draft in 2022. They could create a good chunk of additional cap space by cutting Wagner. Despite his career-high 170 tackles (93 solo) in 15 games in 2021, he only accumulated three tackles for loss and his decline in athleticism has been more obvious this season. Wagner will turn 32 years old this offseason and Jordyn Brooks looks to take over as captain of the defense soon while Cody Barton has shown some promise at the linebacker position as well.
So what is the argument for keeping Wagner onboard for 2022? He is a future Hall of Famer and just because he has lost a step does not mean he is not a competent player anymore. The stats he posted this year are not entirely empty and he can still be a contributor, especially if both parties agree to restructure his contract, but the cost may be too high.
Regardless of the outcome of Wagner’s situation, he will be remembered as one of the greatest linebackers and Seattle Seahawks in NFL history.
