If you believe the reports from last March, the Pittsburgh Steelers were interested in inside linebacker Bobby Wagner prior to him ultimately signing with the Los Angeles Rams later that month. As of Thursday, however, Wagner will soon be a free agent once again as the Rams are reportedly parting ways with him.
With the Rams in 2022, Wagner, who will turn 33 years of age in June, recorded 140 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, six sacks, five passes defended, and two interceptions. He ultimately was named a Second-Team All-Pro for his 2022 efforts. He was also PFF’s highest-graded linebacker in 2022.
Prior to the Rams deciding to part ways with Wagner, the former second-round selection of the Seattle Seahawks in the 2012 NFL Draft was scheduled to earn a base salary in 2023 of $7.5 million and another $4 million in additional bonuses.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Rams and Wagner mutually agreed on Thursday to part ways. The Rams need more salary cap space and Wagner wants to win now, according to Schefter.
Obviously, several Steelers fans are probably hoping that Wagner and the Steelers might now have mutual interest in each other. We’ll see, but Wagner isn’t likely to come cheap even at nearly 33 years of age and especially coming off the 2022 season that he had. The Steelers really can’t afford to do a one-year deal with Wagner unless it’s for less than $5 million.
Wagner is sure to have a lot of interest once he officially becomes a street free agent so odds probably aren’t great when it comes to him potentially landing with the Steelers during the offseason.
The Steelers currently have a thin inside linebacker room as they sit here late in February as only Myles Jack, Mark Robinson, Tae Crowder, and Chapelle Russell are under contract with the team for the 2023 season with the start of the new league year now less than three weeks away.
