The last time Bobby Wagner stood on the sideline opposite Russell Wilson, the future Hall of Fame linebacker recorded an interception against his former Seattle Seahawks teammate. That came on Christmas Day in 2022 with Wagner a member of the Los Angeles Rams and Wilson the quarterback for the Denver Broncos.
In Week 11 of the 2024 season, Wagner and Wilson will square off again with Wagner patrolling the middle of the Washington Commanders’ defense and Wilson (presumably) under center for the Steelers at FedEx Field on Nov. 10.
Though there are questions about Wilson and if he’ll be the Steelers’ starting quarterback at that point, Wagner — who appeared on the “Up And Adams” show on FanDuel TV with Kay Adams — stated that he believes it will be Wilson as the starting quarterback in that matchup.
“I think there’s been a lot of people that count him out. But all this guy’s done is, is prove people wrong his whole career,” Wagner said of Wilson, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “He works really, really hard and he’s a veteran and he’s somebody that people look up to.
“You got a guy that is experienced winning Super Bowls, big-time games. I just think this is a better situation for him, and I think he’ll shine.”
Though many former Seahawks teammates have spoken out against Wilson in recent years, criticizing him for his ego and treatment from the coaching staff, Wagner and Wilson have always maintained a strong relationship.
They also had quite a few battles in training camps and practices after they came together in the Pacific Northwest as part of Seattle’s draft class in 2012. Together, Wilson and Wagner won a bunch of games for the Seahawks as key figures on both sides of the football.
Wagner knows what it’s like to be counted out and prove people wrong, especially coming out of Utah State as a little-known linebacker. He sees the same thing in Wilson.
After two tough seasons in Denver, there are questions whether Wilson is now even a starting quarterback in the NFL. Those questions only are getting louder with Justin Fields as the backup to him, creating plenty of talking points about if Wilson can hold off Fields or if the Steelers are better off with Fields than Wilson under center.
His former teammate believes Wilson will shine in Pittsburgh, which is something all Steelers fans are hoping for, too. It will be very interesting to see if Wilson is the starter in Week 11 on the road against the Commanders, giving him a chance to battle against Wagner again.
“Russ and I, our battles go way back at practice. And so I think when we were with Seattle, I think both of us thought we would never really have the opportunity to go against one another. It would always be just practice,” Wagner said. “So it was a lot of like ‘what ifs’ and so, the Rams was the first time for us to get to go against each other. Hopefully, I win again.”
In that matchup between the Rams and Broncos on Christmas Day in 2022, the Rams thumped the Broncos at SoFi Stadium, 51-14. Wilson threw for just 214 yards and three interceptions, while Wagner had eight tackles, one sack and one big interception, setting up a Los Angeles score.
Hopefully things are a bit different in Wilson’s favor this season.
