Seahawks Ex Bobby Wagner: Rams Spoiling Playoff Hopes 'Worth Playing For'

While holding affinity for the fans who cheered him on for a decade with the Seattle Seahawks, Bobby Wagner can't wait for the opportunity to close a disappointing season by slamming the door on his former team's playoff hopes on Sunday.

RENTON, Wash. - Following what he called a disrespectful departure from the Seattle Seahawks last March, Los Angeles Rams linebacker Bobby Wagner will be aiming to settle a score when he returns to the Pacific Northwest for Sunday's season finale.

Nearly a year after he played his final snap in a Seattle uniform and exited in the first quarter of a Week 17 win over Detroit with a knee injury, Wagner will be back in his old stomping grounds with a chance to help Los Angeles finish a dismal season on a strong note. While he's previously on the record for saying he holds "no hatred" towards his former team, he would love nothing more than to end their playoff aspirations by beating them at Lumen Field.

"It's going into a stadium I've been thousands of times, played hundreds of times," Wagner told reporters on Wednesday. "And to be in a position to spoil their playoff hopes is always a good position, something worth playing for. And it will be fun to go back there, be back in front of those fans that I spent so much time [around]. And it should be a fun game."

One of the most popular players to ever don a Seahawks uniform, Wagner became an instant starter after being selected 45th overall in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft. Along with leading the team to its first Super Bowl title in 2013 and receiving an MVP vote the ensuing season, he earned First or Second-Team All-Pro recognition in eight consecutive seasons, eventually surpassing safety Eugene Robinson to become the franchise's all-time leading tackler.

As part of a major overhaul orchestrated by general manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll last spring that included trading quarterback Russell Wilson to the Broncos, the Seahawks released Wagner as a cap casualty one week before the start of free agency. The eight-time All-Pro selection wasn't shy voicing his displeasure with how the franchise's brain trust handled the situation, tweeting that the team didn't inform him that he wasn't coming back in 2022.

For their part, Schneider and Carroll both took a share of the blame for Wagner's exit not being handled better, with the latter holding onto hope Seattle could find a way to keep him around until the last minute. Schneider cited Wagner being his own agent as a complication during the process that hurt communication, which the player himself called a "weak" cop out by the executive.

"I think after 10 years, it's just simple communication," Wagner said in his introductory press conference with the Rams. "I don't think it had to be that difficult."

It was a shocking turn of events that rocked a loyal, passionate fan base, especially considering news of Wagner's impending release became known less than 24 hours after Seattle filed paperwork to trade Wilson to Denver. After building Hall of Fame resumes in a decade with the organization, two of the biggest stars in franchise history instantly weren't on the team anymore.

While rumors of Wilson's unhappiness and desire to play elsewhere had been simmering for multiple offseasons prior to being dealt to the Broncos, Wagner has stated numerous times he didn't want to leave the Seahawks and hoped to finish his career where it started. Once he became a free agent, returning to southern California where he was born and raised and joining the defending Super Bowl champions emerged as the best fit with playing his former team twice being a "cherry on top."

Though Los Angeles has endured the worst season for a defending champion in NFL history in large part due to a litany of injuries to star players, Wagner has been a rare bright spot for the NFC West cellar dwellers. Proving he still has plenty left in the tank at 32 years old, he's turned in one of the best statistical seasons of his exceptional career with 133 tackles, a personal-best 6.0 sacks, two interceptions, and nine tackles for loss.

"I don't remember him ever getting that many sacks. He has rushed a lot in their system," Carroll said Wednesday. "Where it's been a challenge, going there, and following last year and all that stuff, I think he's probably been a real steady voice for them and factor for them. I can't imagine him being anything but that.”

One of Wagner's strongest performances came in a 27-23 loss to the Seahawks at SoFi Stadium last month, as he sacked former teammate Geno Smith twice and made a miraculous interception by managing to pull the football away from running back Tony Jones Jr. After the game, he visited his former team's locker room and spent time with Carroll, a sign the two have mended bridges to an extent and remain friends despite the fallout last spring.

Still, Wagner is one of the sport's ultimate competitors and will relish the chance to replicate that effort and thwart Seattle's bid for a playoff berth. While understanding what is at stake for their team, Carroll expects adoring 12s will give the legendary defender a much warmer homecoming reception than Wilson received in his return back in September, at least during the pre-game festivities.

After that point? Anything goes when the playoffs are on the line with a division rival in town and echoing his comments from that must-see season opener, Carroll knows fans will know what to do once the bullets start flying.

"They're going to be great. They love him. I think they're going to welcome him back. I just think that's what'll happen. Then if he makes a tackle or something, then maybe they don't give him as much love. I don't know. He's going to make some hits in this game. He's playing good ball and doing good stuff, but they'll do the right thing. Whatever it is, they'll do it.”

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