Why the Raiders should consider signing this veteran defender

Pete Carroll gave high praise earlier this week to linebacker Bobby Wagner, a man the Las Vegas Raiders coach knows well after what they accomplished in Seattle.

Would a reunion in the desert make sense? Wagner is a free agent and the Raiders defense certainly needs help after ranking 26th in points allowed per game in 2024. Wagner did plenty to help Carroll during their run with the Seahawks, earning nine Pro Bowl nine selections and twice reaching the Super Bowl, winning Super Bowl XLVIII.

Sure, he'll turn 35 in June and there's an argument to be made that the rebuilding Raiders should be emphasizing youth over past-their-prime veterans. Carroll, however, clearly saw enough of Wagner in Washington this past season to know his former star has plenty left to offer — on the field and off.

"I thought it was a remarkable season that he had in many ways," Carroll told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. "I know he was a great asset to Danny (coach Dan Quinn) putting together the system and the approach and the principles and stuff. We all kind of grew up in the same ways, so the message and the voice that Bobby had on that club and particularly with the quarterback, the relationship that he established, was irreplaceable for them."  

If he's slowing down, Wagner is doing it in style. He started all 17 games for the Commanders, with 132 combined tackles including 10 for loss. He also had eight quarterback hits and two sacks. Oh, and he made the Pro Bowl again. Wagner, with more than 1,000 solo tackles in his 13 year career, would give the Raiders a seasoned jolt on defense.

Rather than a full rebuild, the Raiders also might be in a win-now mode if they manage to pull off a trade for a proven quarterback in the Los Angeles Rams' Matthew Stafford.

Las Vegas is slated to have $96.4M in cap space, according to Over The Cap, with re-signing linebackers Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo among the in-house priorities since they are thin at linebacker. But if Wagner's available for somewhere close to the $8M he made in 2024, the Raiders should sign him and hope they can persuade Deablo and Spillane to return. 

Spillane, 29, would get a veteran running mate in the linebacker room while Deablo, 26, might benefit from the added knowledge Wagner could provide. 

Carroll noted, "I know Bobby is a free agent," so it should be expected that Las Vegas will at least check in on Wagner, if not make him a starting point in beefing up the defense in free agency.