Seahawks LB Bobby Wagner ‘100%’ wants to keep playing next season

RENTON — After signing a one-year contract to return to the Seahawks last March, Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner said he hoped the reunion might last longer.

But he also grudgingly acknowledged that his age and career length — he turned 33 in June and the 2023 season is his 12th — couldn’t be ignored.

“I hope to play longer than this,” Wagner said last April. “But I think we are at the point where you take it a year at a time.”

Having gotten through almost all of the 2023 campaign, though, Wagner said Wednesday he doesn’t question whether he has at least one more season in him.

“There’s no might,” he said when asked if he might want to play in 2024, adding “100%” when again asked about playing next season.

Validation that Wagner still has it came later Wednesday when he was one of three Seahawks named to the Pro Bowl along with safety Julian Love and rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon.

It is the ninth Pro Bowl nod for Wagner, tying him with Walter Jones and Russell Wilson for the most in Seahawks history.

He’d surely like a chance to try for a 10th with the Seahawks. But returning on a one-year deal means Wagner can become an unrestricted free agent in March.

Asked if the team would want him back, coach Pete Carroll said what might be expected — especially with at least one game to play.

“I would think yes,” Carroll said. “We’d love to have him.”

Wagner re-signed in March on a deal that paid him a base of $5.5 million — a far cry from the $18 million average of his previous deal with the Seahawks from 2019 to 2021.

His 2023 contract also included $1.5 million in incentives tied to things such as making the Pro Bowl and earning All-Pro honors. Wagner will earn $750,000 for making the Pro Bowl.

That he made another Pro Bowl could mean he might want at least that much to return.

That deal was also signed with the idea that he might play a more complementary role and not be on the field for every down — specifically, possibly being taken off on obvious passing downs. Instead, he has played 98% of the snaps.

“He’s had a fantastic season,” Carroll said Wednesday. “The fact that he’s had a productive year and he’s making his plays and tons of tackles again and the durability again, which is just so remarkable throughout his career, is just a statement of his overall conditioning and development and maintenance of all that it takes to do that. It’s incredible that he’s played this much, and 168 tackles is amazing. He’s done everything that we could’ve hoped for.”

Wagner is ranked 14th of 81 inside linebackers by Pro Football Focus with a season grade of 79.3 That’s not quite the 90.7 he had last year with the Rams, which ranked first, but better than the 71.8 of his 2021 season with the Seahawks.

The main reason for the drop is a coverage grade that ranks 53rd among linebackers and is the lowest of his career at 58.6.

Via PFF, Wagner has allowed 46 receptions on 56 targets for 493 yards and a 115.3 passer rating.

But his run defense is viewed as being as good as ever — he has the third-best grade among linebackers and the fourth best of his career.

And run defense is obviously in short supply for the Seahawks.

The upshot is Wagner putting up traditional stats numbers that rank with the best seasons of his career — he has 168 tackles, behind only the 170 of the 2021 season, when he missed one game and almost all of another due to injury. That is second in the NFL this season behind the 170 of Zaire Franklin of the Colts.

Via Pro Football Reference, though, the only two inside, or off-ball, linebackers older than Wagner are New Orleans’ Demario Davis (34) and Tampa Bay’s Lavonte David (33, six months older than Wagner).

Seattle’s main impetus for re-signing Wagner was the uncertainty over the availability of Jordyn Brooks, who took over for Wagner in the middle in 2022, but then suffered an ACL injury on Jan. 1. The team figured that with a normal recovery, Brooks might be out through the first month or so of the season.

Instead, Brooks had a rapid recovery and was ready Week 1.

But by then, Wagner was again entrenched in the middle — and wearing the green dot helmet to relay the play calls from the coaches — and Brooks went back to his old spot on the weakside.

Brooks can also be an unrestricted free agent, giving Seattle a significant decision of how to proceed.

While a case can be made for bringing back both, Brooks is sure to want a hefty raise from the roughly $3 million average of his rookie deal that runs out this year.

And given Seattle’s overall defensive struggles this season, the Seahawks might also look for change anywhere and everywhere.

Wednesday, Wagner said he’s spent the season not worrying about his future other than that he’s planning that there will, indeed, be one.

“I didn’t think too far [ahead],” he said. “I was just trying to be present in the moment that I had, try to make the most out of that and let the cards fall where they may.”

Seven sit out practice

The Seahawks listed seven players as sitting out practice Wednesday: offensive tackles Abraham Lucas (knee) and Jason Peters (foot), center Evan Brown (concussion), running back Kenneth Walker III (shoulder), linebacker Nick Bellore (knee), defensive end Mario Edwards (knee) and nose tackle Jarran Reed (knee).

Two others were limited — guard Phil Haynes (toe) and Brooks (knee).

Carroll indicated both Lucas and Peters will be out Sunday, meaning Stone Forsythe likely starting at right tackle.

“Abe’s knee is really bothering him, and it’s going to be hard for Abe [to play Sunday],” Carroll said.

As for Peters, Carroll said: “I don’t think he’s going to be able to make it back either. He won’t be able to practice today.”

Haynes, was designated as returning to practice after missing the last five games and Carroll said he may be able to play Sunday.

“He’s going to practice today and get some work, and we’ll just see what happens,” Carroll said. “He’s done a lot of work with the trainers and strength and conditioning, but we have to see how he does.”

Carroll was optimistic about Brooks, Brown and Walker being able to play Sunday.

Brooks missed the Steelers game, but Carroll said, “He went through the walk-through; he looked pretty good running around.”

As for Brown, who left in the third quarter Sunday. Carroll said: “He got through the walk-through today. He got released to do that, so that’s a really good sign that he can progress through the week. He won’t get practice reps today, but I think it allows him to get them tomorrow if everything continues to progress.”

And Walker sitting out may have mostly been to get him some rest.

“He looked very good today [in walk-through],” Carroll said. “He looked much better than he did Wednesday of last week. In this walk-through here, he was flying around pretty good.”