For some Seattle Seahawks fans, few current players mean what linebacker Bobby Wagner does. And watching him leave for the division rival Los Angeles Rams two offseasons ago was agonizing.
His return last season was good for him and good for the team.
Wagner responded to his return to the Seahawks with another stellar season while earning Pro Bowl honors for the ninth time in his career as well as being named second-team All-Pro. He tallied a league-best 183 total tackles with 96 solo and 11 for loss while recording six quarterback hits and three passes defended.
But Wagner was back on just a one-year deal, which means on Wednesday, he can become a free agent. It also means Seattle fans could be saying goodbye to Wagner for a second time.
But this time it could sting even more.
Fansided thinks Wagner could bolt for the Seahawks' biggest division rival, the San Francisco 49ers.
"While it seems like Wagner is a guy who should retire with the Seahawks, things are uncertain now in Seattle," Nick San Miguel wrote. "With a new coach in Mike McDonald, he may decide that the team needs to shake things up and get younger. Plus, he does not have any of the nostalgia for Wagner that former head coach Pete Carroll did.
"Plus, newly hired 49ers defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen spent many years as an assistant coach with the Seahawks, so he got to see Wagner's greatness up close. Sorensen may want to bring back the veteran with the 49ers uncertain about Greenlaw's status going into next season."
There is a precedent here going back to 2018 when fan favorite Richard Sherman left Seattle to join San Francisco - a gut punch for Seahawks fans.
Could it be happening again?
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