It’s almost like he never left.
After a one-year getaway with the Los Angeles Rams, linebacker Bobby Wagner has returned to the Seattle Seahawks in NFL free agency, the team announced Saturday, bringing the 32-year-old back to where he played his first 10 NFL seasons.
Wagner signed a one-year, $7 million contract, according to multiple reports.
“Maaaan! Glad to be back in Seattle! It means a lot to be able to come back ! Let’s get to work,” Wagner wrote on Instagram.
The Rams are trying to get their cap situation in order and are reshaping their roster after they followed up their Super Bowl campaign with a miserable 5-12 season in 2022.
So last month, Wagner and the Rams agreed to part ways just one year into a five-year, $50 million contract he signed last offseason.
Bobby Wagner has returned to the Seahawks on a one-year contract.Getty ImagesIt seemed like the Seahawks and Wagner, an eight-time Pro Bowler and six-time All-Pro with Seattle who was part of the Super Bowl XLVIII team, parted on a sour note last year, when Wagner said he did not hear from the team that he was being cut.
But Wagner, whom the Seahawks selected in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft, returns to a Seahawks team that surprised the NFL last season by remaining competitive despite trading Russell Wilson to the Broncos.
Geno Smith got his first chance at being a full-time starting quarterback since 2014 with the Jets and led the Seahawks to a wild-card berth and 9-8 regular season record.
Bobby Wagner (45) as a member of the Rams talking to Seahawks receiver Tyler Lockett (16) after a game in Seattle on Jan. 8, 2023.Getty ImagesHe earned his first career Pro Bowl nod, throwing for 4,282 yards, 30 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while completing 69.8 percent of his passes.
Smith was rewarded by Seattle with a three-year, $75 million contract that is worth a maximum of $105 million, though there’s no guaranteed money beyond the first year.
Wagner had 140 tackles with a career-high six sacks, 10 tackles for a loss, 10 QB hits and two interceptions with the Rams last season.
He has 1,523 career tackles in 11 seasons.
