The Seahawks are officially set at the quarterback position until the next coming of Halley’s Comet, it seems, with Friday’s news of Russell Wilson’s four-year, $87.6 million extension. But with all that money (including $60 million guaranteed) now committed to the man who calls himself DangeRuss, Seattle will have an increasingly difficult time now retaining their full core on the other side of the ball. And nobody understands this better than linebacker Bobby Wagner.
Wagner, who was widely expected to come to terms with the team on an extension before Wilson, tweeted out his less-than-thrilled reaction to the quarterback’s extension soon after the story broke.
Can't keep everyone
— Bobby Wagner (@Bwagz54) July 31, 2015
Wagner’s rookie deal expires after the coming 2015-16 season. He had been hoping to lock himself into some long-term security with the team over the summer. Wilson’s extension does open the door for the team to franchise tag Wagner instead, as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports points out. But the 25-year-old Wagner is clearly irked that the Seahawks did not make him more of a priority this offseason.
The irritation of Wagner is understandable. He’s set to make just $977,000 next year, despite his reputation as one of the best all-around inside linebackers in the league. With his instincts and athleticism, Wagner can siphon off running lanes in the blink of an eye or drop back into coverage and make life hell for wide receivers with his hard hitting. He has 364 total tackles to his name in just three seasons, and very much deserves to be one of the highest paid linebackers in the NFL.
Having already gotten their big deal done with Wilson, it seems unlikely that the Seahawks would want to shell out any more massive money this summer. That doesn’t sit well with Wagner and a number of other players, including safety Kam Chancellor (who is officially holding out for a new deal) and defensive end Michael Bennett (who threatened to hold out before ultimately showing up to training camp).
The problem will only get worse for Seattle as they are faced with a new reality. Their stacked reserve of talent and financial flexibility these past few years has flowed in large part from the Seahawks’ ability to keep Russell Wilson around on a team-friendly deal. With that no longer being a possibility now, Bobby Wagner looks more like Nostradamus than anything. Seattle really can’t and won’t be able to keep everyone.
H/T NFL.com
