Bobby Wagner’s tremendous Seattle Seahawks career could be coming to an end due to contract concerns heading into the offseason.
The proof is in the fine print of Wagner’s contract, and it doesn’t have all that much to do with his play or injury status.
Wagner is on the other side of 30 years old, and with the Seahawks in need of salary cap space, his time in Seattle could be history — at least on his current contract.
“You think about it,” Wagner said Wednesday. “You think about what the next year looks like and what the future holds because this was a season that I don’t think we all planned for. We didn’t plan for the season to go this way, so obviously there’s going to be some changes and whether or not I’m part of those changes, I don’t know.”
Bobby Wagner contract: Makes sense to cut aging LB
By cutting Wagner, the Seahawks would have to pay him $3.75 million in dead money. If they were to keep Wagner on the roster, he’d make over $20 million. However, over $16 million of that isn’t guaranteed. That’s a substantial amount of money, and considering John Schneider’s expertise with the salary cap, expect him to pull the trigger.
This isn’t to say the Seahawks couldn’t end up bringing back Wagner on a cheaper deal, but the far more likely result is that both Wagner and Seattle explore other options first.
Think Everson Griffen and the Vikings, but a mutual parting of ways.
“I feel like I’ve got a lot of room to grow as a player, to grow as a leader,” he said. “I feel like there’s a lot of new technology that’s going to let me play a little bit longer, so I’m excited to dive into [that] stuff, and I think we’ll see how it works out.”
Wagner was a second-round draft pick in 2012. He still has plenty left to give, as Wagner registered 170 tackles so far this season — a franchise record.