Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner is participating in his ninth Pro Bowl in his 12th season. He is 33 but has left no doubt this offseason that he plans to play in 2024.
Thus, the only question is: Who with?
Wagner returned to the Seahawks in 2023 after playing with the Rams in 2022, but he is scheduled for free agency again in March.
The Seahawks have changed coaches, hiring Mike Macdonald this week to replace Pete Carroll.
Wagner said Friday that neither Carroll’s departure nor Macdonald’s hiring will affect his decision about whether to re-sign with the Seahawks.
“No, it doesn’t affect anything,” Wagner told NFL Media. “I want to keep playing ball. I want to keep showing I can play at a high level. I’m fortunate enough to be around a lot of these guys, but also guys like Ray Lewis and Peyton Manning and those guys, stealing knowledge from them, talking about how they were able to last as long as they did, so I’m excited about that, just figuring out what that looks that.”
Wagner led the NFL in tackles in 2023 with 183 and added 3.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, three passes defensed and a fumble recovery.
If he returns to the Seahawks, though, it will be the first season Carroll won’t be his head coach in Seattle.
Wagner admits he was surprised to see the Seahawks move on from the 72-year-old coach.
“Of course, obviously, because when you think of Seahawks, you think of Pete Carroll,” Wagner said. “It’s natural, because he’s been there for I believe 14 years. And so, not seeing that face connected to the Seahawks is always going to be surprising. It was the same thing with Bill Belichick; when you think of Patriots, you think of Bill Belichick. But you know the time was coming at some point.”
Wagner could flourish in Macdonald’s defense like Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen did in Baltimore.
Under Macdonald in 2023, the Ravens led the NFL in scoring defense (16.5 points per game) and sacks (60) and finished tied for first in takeaways (31), becoming the first team in league history to rank first in all three categories. The Ravens also ranked sixth in yards allowed (301.4 per game).
“Obviously you look at it and when you see them make that hire -- I’m fortunate enough to be around Roquan and those guys and they say all great things about him and so you think about it -- but at the same time you also understand that you’re a free agent and you’re not necessarily married to that idea,” Wagner said. “Obviously, I want to be in Seattle, but I also know the business. I’ve been around a long time.”