Seahawks Officially Release LB Bobby Wagner

One of the best linebackers to ever play the game will continue his career elsewhere after Seattle opted to cut him in a cap-saving move with one week until the start of free agency.

Following 10 seasons starring in the middle of the Seahawks' defense, Bobby Wagner's time in the Pacific Northwest appears to have reached a conclusion.

One day after reports emerged that Seattle would release the perennial All-Pro linebacker, Seattle made the move official via social media. Wagner himself took to his Twitter and Instagram accounts as well, thanking fans for their support over the years and that Seattle will "forever be my home."

Forever grateful. Forever a Seahawk.

📑 » https://t.co/AcKrm4g0Eu pic.twitter.com/xUGMbfomZO

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) March 9, 2022

Carrying a massive $20.35 million cap hit in 2022, Wagner's future has been speculated for months dating back to comments made during a press conference in late December. With the Seahawks out of the playoff hunt, he admitted he had thought about the possibility he could be playing his final games for the team.

“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," Wagner said at the time. "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.”

As it turns out, Wagner won't be part of those changes. By releasing him now, Seattle saves more than $16 million in cap space and the organization did the veteran defender a solid by giving him headway to speak with other teams before free agency officially opens on March 16. Since he was cut, he can sign with another team at any time and doesn't have to wait for the start of the league year.

As part of the team's official announcement, coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider released statements thanking Wagner for his remarkable contributions with the Seahawks over the past decade.

"Bobby is one of the great Seahawks of all-time," Carroll penned. "His leadership in the community, locker room, and on the field is a tribute to his character and consistency. Bobby set an incredible example for all to follow, and we will continue to follow him all the way to the Hall of Fame."

"This is an extremely difficult day for the organization," Schneider added. "Bobby has been at the center of our defense for the past 10 seasons and always represented our organization with class. He is a special player and person, and we are forever grateful. Bobby will always be a 'Hawk."

Drafted in the second round out of Utah State in Seattle's storied 2012 draft class, Wagner became an immediate starter at middle linebacker and produced 140 tackles and three interceptions as a rookie, helping lead the team to the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Over the next nine seasons, he surpassed 100 tackles every time, including leading the league in that category in 2016 and 2019.

Last season, Wagner joined exclusive company alongside Ray Lewis and London Fletcher as only the third player to amass 100 or more tackles in 10 consecutive seasons since 1987. Putting his dominance in perspective, no other player in Seahawks history has more than five total seasons with 100 tackles, as former teammate K.J. Wright carries that distinction. Even safety Eugene Robinson, whose franchise tackles record fell to Wagner a few years ago, only had four such seasons with the team.

In addition to his tackling prowess, Wagner quickly emerged as one of the game's best coverage linebackers, surfacing as the perfect prototype for a middle linebacker in today's pass-happy NFL with elite sideline-to-sideline speed and instincts. Since entering the league a decade ago, he has produced 60 passes defensed and 11 interceptions while scoring four defensive touchdowns.

Stuffing the stat sheet year in and year out, Wagner broke tackle Walter Jones' franchise record by earning First-Team All-Pro honors six times, making him one of only 11 linebackers in NFL history to accomplish the feat. In total, including a Second-Team All-Pro selection in 2021, he has been named an All-Pro eight times and been picked for eight Pro Bowl squads.

While the news of Wagner's departure will be devastating for fans and seeing him in another uniform will sting, No. 54 will always be remembered as one of the franchise's all-time greats on and off the field and isn't leaving the organization on bad terms. Down the road, he will be immortalized with a yellow jacket in Canton and his jersey number will be retired and hung up in the rafters at Lumen Field as one of the best ever to play his position in any era.