Wagner: Rams 'thought it was a fake' when he texted them in free agency

Bobby Wagner took the free-agency recruitment process into his own hands this offseason, reaching out to teams on his own behalf rather than through an agent. This move apparently came as a surprise to some of his potential suitors.

In an interview with Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times, Wager explained how he sent text messages to general managers and executives around the NFL following his release from the Seattle Seahawks. He informed them he was representing himself as a free agent and provided his contact information.

One of the people he reached out to was Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead, who had his suspicions about the origin of Wagner's text.

"I think he signed off as Bwagz," Snead said, "and I'm like, 'OK, is this real?'"

Snead wasn't the only one who questioned whether the text was authentic.

"Everybody thought it was a fake," Wagner said.

The Rams confirmed the text did indeed come from Wagner and went on to sign the linebacker to a five-year, $50-million deal.