Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner remains one of the best defensive players in football, even if people have doubted him the past couple of years.
Wagner played in his ninth Pro Bowl on Sunday, which comes after the star defender was released each of the last two offseasons.
In March 2022, the Seahawks cut him. Then, last spring, the Los Angeles Rams released Wagner.
Speaking to the media during the Pro Bowl events over the weekend, Wagner said he isn’t really bothered by what everyone else thinks.
“Younger and older you can’t really listen to the outside noise because it’s gonna be a roller coaster,” Wagner said, via Grant Gordon of NFL media. “A lot of people have an opinion, things of that nature, but it speaks for itself. You get voted here by your peers, you’re still getting All-Pros and things of that nature.”
Wagner led the NFL with 183 tackles this season, which was also a career high. He added 3.5 sacks and a fumble recovery.
Clearly, the 33-year-old can still play at a high level, even if it seemed like he may have been declining a couple of years ago.
“We’re at a space where I feel like people try to, a lot of people want to be right,” Wagner said. “They want to be the first person to call out your rise and want to be the first person to call out your fall.”
Wagner, who played his collegiate football at Utah State, was originally selected by Seattle in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft.
He spent the first decade of his career with the Seahawks, racking up eight trips to Pro Bowl and earning six First-Team All-Pro selections.
The Los Angeles native then spent one season with the Rams in 2022 before returning to the Pacific Northwest.
Bobby Wagner is set to be a free agent this offseason.
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