NFL teams have begun making their offseason roster moves with less than two weeks to go before the Super Bowl, and Bobby Wagner, one of the league’s best linebackers for the past decade, is hitting the open market this spring.
Wagner and the Los Angeles Rams reportedly agreed to part ways on Thursday. The team is in cost-cutting mode with their current cap almost $14 million over the cap, and Wagner’s departure will save them at least a little cash. His dead cap will be $7.5 million, saving the team just $1.5 million, a figure that could rise to $8 million if they designate him as a post-June 1 release.
Rams and All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner part ways
There will be a team that will be lucky to have him on the roster. Despite his age, Wagner was one of the best linebackers in all of football last year, starting all 17 games and posting a career-high 6 sacks along with 140 tackles and 2 interceptions. His accomplishments earned him second-team All-Pro honors, the ninth consecutive year he has been named to an All-Pro team. Pro Football Focus rated Wagner the best linebacker in the NFL last season.
The Rams and nine-time All-Pro LB Bobby Wagner mutually agreed Thursday to part ways, sources told ESPN.
The Rams need more cap space and Wagner wants to win. He will now be a notable part of this year’s free agent class. pic.twitter.com/1A3KvudOhj
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 23, 2023
Where will Wagner end up? There will be plenty of teams bidding for his services, and he doesn’t have to chase any rings as a Super Bowl champion. Who will be willing to put up the cash? His last contract was scheduled to pay out approximately $10 million per season, a number he surpassed when he was in his early 30s. But given his performance this season and his overall career performance, there could be a bidding war for the All-Pro linebacker.
Wagner has spent the entirety of his career in the NFC West. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in 2012, where he became part of a historically dominant defense that led the team to back-to-back Super Bowls and led the NFL in tackles in 2016 and 2019.
He immediately becomes one of the best free agent linebackers available for the offseason, joining the likes of Lavonte David and Tremaine Edmunds. The latter is younger, and teams could look to fresh legs instead of 30-year-olds, but don’t be surprised if Bobby Wagner signs a one- or two-year contract that has a higher annual average than any of his 2023 frees. agent counterparts.
