Bobby Wagner: Parting ways with Seattle

Seattle released Wagner (knee) on Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Seattle kicked off its rebuild in earnest Tuesday, dealing away franchise quarterback Russell Wilson to Denver and moving on from its longtime anchor on defense in Wagne. The veteran linebacker would have carried a cap hit of $20.35 million in 2022 on the final year of his contract, but Seattle will face a dead-cap charge of only $3.75 million after cutting him. Wagner has recorded at least 133 total tackles in each of the past six seasons, and in 2021 he totaled 170 tackles, one sack, one interception and one forced fumble in 16 games. That sort of production shouldn't make it too difficult for him to secure a multi-year deal on the open market, and he should retain IDP relevance regardless of where he lands. Wagner is currently recovering from MCL and PCL sprains of his knee, but he didn't require offseason surgery and should be 100 percent well in advance of training camp.