SEATTLE, WA - DECEMBER 10: Seattle Seahawks middle linebacker Bobby Wagner (54) during the NFL regular season football game against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday, Dec, 10, 2019 at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, WA.

Wagner preparing for 2019 to be final year with Seahawks

Icon Sportswire / Getty

Bobby Wagner said Saturday he wants to retire as a member of the Seattle Seahawks but revealed they've yet to discuss an extension ahead of a contract year for the All-Pro linebacker.

"I'm preparing like this is my last year as a Seahawk," Wagner told NFL Network's Omar Ruiz. "If it is, I want to make sure I go out with a bang and make sure I give the city something to remember."

Wagner, who's representing himself in negotiations, added he understands "it's a business."

The Seahawks had three key players to extend entering this offseason: quarterback Russell Wilson, franchise-tagged defensive end Frank Clark, and Wagner.

Wilson, the team's top priority, inked a four-year deal worth an NFL-record $35 million per season in mid-April; later in the month, Clark was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs for a first-round pick and was immediately handed $105 million over five years.

The Pro Bowl inside linebacker will likely command a contract toward the top of the market after racking up 916 total tackles in just seven seasons. The New York Jets' prized free-agent acquisition, C.J. Mosley, is currently the highest-paid player at the position, earning a market-resetting $17 million a year.

Before Mosley inked his deal with New York - and potentially complicated negotiations between Seattle and Wagner - Luke Kuechly's $12.36 million annually topped all inside linebackers, according to Over The Cap. Wagner sat in second place with a deal averaging $10.75 million.

Wagner and fellow linebacker K.J. Wright are the lone remaining defensive stars from Seattle's Super Bowl XLVIII-winning team.

XRedditFacebookWhatsAppEmailSMS
MORE STORIES