Bobby Wagner

Career StatsA

Year	Team	GP	Tkl	Sacks	INT
Career		219	2000	39.5	15
2025		17	162	4.5	2
2024		17	132	2.0	0
2023		17	183

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

Bobby Wagner's one-year, $9M deal represents solid value for a team seeking proven linebacker production, earning a B CVI for what amounts to a fair market transaction. At $9M AAV with $8M guaranteed, Wagner commands above-average starter money that aligns appropriately with his current performance tier — he's no longer the elite defender who dominated Seattle's Legion of Boom era, but he remains a credible every-down linebacker who can quarterback a defense and stuff the stat sheet. The veteran's age works both for and against this contract: while he's clearly past his prime, the short-term commitment limits downside risk if his play declines further. The heavy guarantee ($8M of $9M) reflects Wagner's veteran status and injury history concerns, but the single-year structure gives both sides flexibility to reassess after the season. This deal makes sense for a contending team that needs immediate linebacker help and can afford to pay above-average money for a player whose football IQ and tackling consistency still translate even as his range diminishes.

Contracts in the Same Value Band

Other same-position deals the Contract Value Index also places in the B band — a quick read on where Bobby's contract sits relative to comparable money.

Performance Analysis

Bobby Wagner grades an A performance mark, with his Pro Bowl-caliber stretches anchoring the read. At 35 years old and 14 seasons into his career, Wagner remains an elite-tier linebacker capable of commanding a defense through intelligence and positioning rather than relying on explosive athleticism. His 2025 season production — 162 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and 2 interceptions across 17 games — demonstrates sustained durability and consistent two-down productivity that keeps him squarely in the franchise-caliber conversation despite his age. The tackle volume underscores his role as a high-volume processor of plays, though the sack total reflects a position-group reality: he's functioning as the primary run defender and coverage orchestrator rather than a pass-rush threat. His 2025 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award and 10 Pro Bowl selections cement his standing as one of the most respected defenders available in this cycle, with the media narrative centered on his leadership and football IQ as genuine difference-makers in a locker room rather than any notion of decline. Teams pursuing him are doing so with clear-eyed awareness of what he is at this stage — a premium communicator and decision-maker whose presence elevates unit cohesion and scheme execution, not a resurrection project for a fading star.

How Bobby Compares at the Position

Bobby Wagner ranks 11th of 338 graded linebackers by performance. That slots Bobby between Fred Warner (A) just ahead and T.j. Edwards (A-) just behind.

Current Sentiment

Around the free agent market, the narrative on Bobby Wagner reads as a A+ sentiment grade — measured by recent headlines and fan reactions. At 35 years old with 14 seasons of NFL experience, Wagner has transcended the typical veteran-in-decline storyline through a combination of sustained excellence and off-field leadership: his 2025 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award has reframed the conversation away from age-related durability concerns and toward his standing as a culture-altering presence that contending rosters actively want in their locker rooms. Multiple outlets are explicitly identifying him as a target for playoff-caliber teams rather than treating him as a salary-floor filler, with specific suitors emerging and comparisons drawn between younger linebackers and his standard-setting career profile — a positioning that aligns cleanly with his A-tier performance grade and his 2025 season production of 162 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and 2 interceptions across 17 games. The media narrative centers on his football intelligence and leadership cachet rather than any physical decline, a distinction that sets him apart from typical aging pass-rushers and explains why headlines frame him as a "difference-maker" rather than a "final contract" signing. The consensus is clear: Wagner enters free agency as perhaps the most respected veteran defender available, with fan and media sentiment united around the notion that he elevates any roster he joins heading into 2026.