Bobby Joseph Wagner (born June 27, 1990) is an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
inside linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
for the
Los Angeles Rams of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL). He played
college football at
Utah State, and was drafted in the second round of the
2012 NFL Draft by the
Seattle Seahawks, who he played for until the end of the season.
High school career
Wagner attended
Colony High School in
Ontario, California
Ontario is a city in southwestern San Bernardino County in the U.S. state of California, east of downtown Los Angeles and west of downtown San Bernardino, the county seat. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire metropolitan area, ...
, where he played
high school football
High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...
for the Titans. In 2007, he registered 125 tackles (92 solo, 33 assists), including four sacks as a senior. He also played tight end, tallying 37 catches for 595 yards with 11 touchdowns. He received all-CIF Central Division honors as well as all-Mount Baldy League accolades. He earned second-team California Division 2 all-state honors after helping lead the Titans to a CIF division title and was named to the All-San Bernardino County team.
Considered only a two-star recruit by ''
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel.
History
Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...
'', Wagner's only offer came from
Utah State, which he accepted.
College career
Wagner attended
Utah State University
Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public land-grant research university in Logan, Utah. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. With nearly 20,000 students living on or near campus, USU is Utah ...
from 2008 to 2011. A four-year starter, he recorded 445 tackles, 4.5
sacks, and four
interceptions during his career. As a senior in 2011, Wagner was the
WAC Defensive Player of the Year after recording 147 tackles, four sacks, and two interceptions.
College statistics
Professional career
On January 14, 2012, it was announced that Wagner had accepted his invitation to play in the
2012 Senior Bowl
The 2012 Senior Bowl was an all-star college football exhibition game featuring players from the 2011 college football season, and prospects for the 2012 Draft of the professional National Football League (NFL). The 63rd edition of the Senior ...
. He became the first Utah State player to play in the game since
Chris Cooley
Christopher Ken Cooley (born July 11, 1982) is a former American football tight end who played for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Utah State University, and was drafted by the Redski ...
in 2004. On January 28, 2012, Wagner played in the
Senior Bowl
The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility. Pr ...
and recorded 22 combined tackles and an interception for
Minnesota Vikings' head coach
Leslie Frazier's North team that defeated the South 23–13. He was named the Senior Bowl MVP and was also named the North's Most Outstanding Player. Wagner received an invitation to the
NFL Scouting Combine
The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foo ...
, but was unable to attend after coming down with
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...
. On March 30, 2012, Wagner attended Utah State's pro day and impressed scouts and team representatives after performing all of the combine drills. He displayed his versatility and athleticism throughout his workout and helped solidify himself as a top linebacker. His 40-yard dash and broad jump would've finished first among all linebackers in at the NFL combine and his vertical would've tied with
Cal's Mychal Kendricks
Marvin Mychal-Christopher Kendricks (born September 28, 1990) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. After playing college football for the California Golden Bears, he was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round ...
for first. His broad jump was five inches better than any linebacker at the combine and would've finished third among all positions. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Wagner was projected to be a second round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked the fourth best outside linebacker in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com.
Seattle Seahawks
The
Seattle Seahawks selected Wagner in the second round (47th overall) of the
2012 NFL Draft. He is the 11th highest player selected in the NFL draft from Utah State and the highest since
Rulon Jones in
1980. The Seattle Seahawks also drafted his Utah State teammate
Robert Turbin
Robert James Turbin (born December 2, 1989) is a former American football running back. He played college football for the Utah State Aggies, and was drafted in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Seahawks. With the Seahawks, he won ...
in the fourth round.
On May 7, 2012, the Seattle Seahawks signed Wagner to a four-year, $4.30 million contract that includes $2.51 million guaranteed and a
signing bonus of $1.57 million.
2012
Wagner entered training camp competing for the vacant starting middle linebacker role against
Barrett Ruud and
Matt McCoy. Although Ruud was initially supposed to replace
David Hawthorne, an injury sidelined him during organized team activities, giving Wagner valuable time with the first team defense. Head coach
Pete Carroll
Peter Clay Carroll (born September 15, 1951) is an American football coach who is the head coach and executive vice president for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was previously the head football coach at USC from ...
named Wagner the starting middle linebacker, along with outside linebackers
K. J. Wright and
Leroy Hill
Leroy Hill Jr. (born September 14, 1982) is a former American football linebacker. He played high school football in Milledgeville, Georgia for the Baldwin High School Braves. He was selected with the 34th pick of the third round of the 2005 NFL ...
, to start the regular season.
He made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the
Seattle Seahawks' season-opener at the
Arizona Cardinals and recorded four combined tackles during their 20–16 loss. In Week 5, Wagner recorded five combined tackles and made his first career sack on
Cam Newton
Cameron Jerrell Newton (born May 11, 1989) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He has played for 11 seasons, primarily with the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Super Cam", he is the NF ...
in the Seahawks' 16–12 victory. The next week, he made a season-high 14 combined tackles in a 24–23 victory against the
New England Patriots. On November 25, 2012, Wagner recorded nine combined tackles, two pass deflections, and intercepted his first career pass off
Miami Dolphins' quarterback
Ryan Tannehill
Ryan Timothy Tannehill III (born July 27, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas A&M, where he was a wide receiver until his junior year, an ...
during a 24–21 loss. On December 9, 2012, he collected eight combined tackles, two pass deflections, and intercepted two passes off of John Skelton in a 58–0 routing against the
Arizona Cardinals. Wagner finished his rookie season with 140 combined tackles (87 solo), four pass deflections, three interceptions. and two sacks in 16 games and 15 starts.
Pro Football Focus
Pro Football Focus (also written as ProFootballFocus, and often referred to by its initials, PFF) is a sports analytics company that focuses on thorough analysis of the National Football League (NFL) and NCAA Division-I football in the United Sta ...
ranked him the second best inside linebacker in 2012 and the best rookie linebacker during the season.
The Seattle Seahawks finished second in the
NFC West
The National Football Conference - Western Division or NFC West is one of the four divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It currently has four members: the Arizona Cardinals, the Los Ang ...
with an 11–5 record and received a playoff berth. On January 6, 2013, Wagner started in his first career playoff game and recorded nine combined tackles during a 24–14 victory at the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
in the NFC
Wild Card Round. They were eliminated by the
Atlanta Falcons in the
Divisional Round.
2013: Super Bowl championship
Wagner remained the starting middle linebacker to start the 2013 regular season under new defensive coordinator
Dan Quinn. On September 22, 2013, he recorded nine combined tackles, deflected a pass, and intercepted
Chad Henne
Chad Steven Henne (; born July 2, 1985) is an American football quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan. While there, Henne became only the second true freshman st ...
as the Seahawks defeated the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...
and Seattle's former defensive coordinator
Gus Bradley
Paul Casey "Gus" Bradley (born July 5, 1966) is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He came to prominence as the defensive coordinator for the Seattle S ...
45–17, who became the Jaguars head coach in 2013. Wagner missed the first two games of his career (Weeks 6–7) after suffering a high ankle sprain. In Week 9, Wagner collected 11 combined tackles and was credited with 1.5 sacks on
Mike Glennon
Michael Joseph Glennon (born December 12, 1989) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football at NC State and was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He has also p ...
during a 27–24 win over the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...
. On December 29, 2013, he made a season-high 12 combined tackles during a 27–9 victory against the
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arr ...
. He finished the season with 120 combined tackles (72 solo), seven pass deflections, five sacks, and two interceptions in 14 games and 14 starts.
Pro Football Focus
Pro Football Focus (also written as ProFootballFocus, and often referred to by its initials, PFF) is a sports analytics company that focuses on thorough analysis of the National Football League (NFL) and NCAA Division-I football in the United Sta ...
ranked Wagner the 61st best player in the league in 2013, regardless of position.
The
Seattle Seahawks finished the season atop their division with a 13–3 record. On January 19, 2014, Wagner started in the
NFC Championship
The NFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the National Football Conference (NFC) and one of the two semi-final National Football League playoffs, playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional Amer ...
and recorded 15 combined tackles during a 23–17 victory over the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
. On February 2, 2014, Wagner started in his first career Super Bowl and made ten combined tackles as the Seahawks routed the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
43–8 and won
Super Bowl XLVIII
Super Bowl XLVIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos and National Football Conference (NFC) champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for th ...
.
2014: Back-to-back Super Bowl appearances
![Bobby Wagner 2014](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Bobby_Wagner_2014.jpg)
Wagner, K. J. Wright, and
Bruce Irvin
Bruce Pernell Irvin Jr. (born November 1, 1987) is an American football outside linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the first round with the 15th overall pick o ...
returned as the starting linebacker corps in 2014. Wagner started the
Seattle Seahawks' season-opener against the
Green Bay Packers and recorded a season-high 14 combined tackles during a 36–16 victory on ''Thursday Night Football''. Unfortunately, he missed five games (Weeks 7–11) after suffering
turf toe
A metatarsophalangeal joint sprain is an injury to the connective tissue between the foot and a toe (at a metatarsophalangeal joint, one of the joints in the ball of the foot). When the big toe is involved, it is known as "turf toe".
Causes
Turf ...
. On December 14, 2014, Wagner recorded his fourth game with at least ten combined tackles and sacked
Colin Kaepernick
Colin Rand Kaepernick ( ; born November 3, 1987) is an American civil rights activist and football quarterback who is a free agent. He played six seasons for the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League (NFL). In 2016, he knelt du ...
during a 17–7 victory over the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
. Wagner finished the season with 104 combined tackles (67 solo), nine tackles for a loss, three pass deflections, and two sacks in 11 games and 11 starts. Even though he missed five games, he was voted into his first
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
and was named First Team All-Pro. For the third straight season, the Seattle Seahawks' defense finished first in the NFL in points allowed, making Wagner a key starter on the top defense every year of his career so far. For his efforts that season, he received a single MVP vote from
Tony Dungy
Anthony Kevin Dungy ( ; born October 6, 1955) is an American former football safety and coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts. Dungy's teams be ...
, largely due to the Seahawks allowing 20.4 points per game without Wagner and 6.5 points per game in the six games after he returned from an injury.
On February 1, 2015, the Seattle Seahawks played in
Super Bowl XLIX
Super Bowl XLIX was an American football game played to determine the champions of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2014 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots defeated the National Football Conf ...
after defeating the
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...
in the
Divisional Round and then the
Green Bay Packers in the
NFC Championship
The NFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the National Football Conference (NFC) and one of the two semi-final National Football League playoffs, playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional Amer ...
. Wagner recorded 12 combined tackles, deflected a pass, and intercepted a pass attempt by
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots organization, with which ...
in the Seahawks 28–24 last-second loss to the
New England Patriots. Wagner made the NFL Top 100 Players for the first time in his career after he garnered enough votes from his NFL peers to finish ranked 69th in the ''
NFL Top 100 Players of 2015''.
2015
![Bobby Wagner 2015](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Bobby_Wagner_2015.jpg)
On August 2, 2015, the Seattle Seahawks signed Wagner to a four-year, $43 million contract extension that includes $19.97 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $8 million.
Irvin, Wright, and Wagner remained the starters under new defensive coordinator
Kris Richard to begin 2015. On October 11, 2015, Wagner recorded seven combined tackles, a pass deflection and a fumble recovery, and scored his first career touchdown during a 27–24
overtime
Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways:
*by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society) ...
loss to the
Cincinnati Bengals. Defensive end
Michael Bennett caused Bengals' running back
Rex Burkhead
Rex Burkhead (born July 2, 1990) is an American football running back for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Nebraska and was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the sixth round of the 2013 ...
to fumble in the third quarter, which Wagner recovered and returned it 23 yards for a touchdown. Wagner missed the Seahawks' Week 6 loss to the Carolina Panthers with a pectoral strain. In Week 10, Wagner collected 11 combined tackles, deflected a pass, recovered a fumble, and scored his second touchdown of the season, as the Seahawks lost to the
Arizona Cardinals, 39–32. In the fourth quarter of that game, linebacker
K. J. Wright sacked quarterback
Carson Palmer
Carson Hilton Palmer (born December 27, 1979) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, primarily with the Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals. He played college football at ...
for a nine-yard loss and jarred the ball loose resulting in a fumble. Wagner recovered the fumble and returned it for a 22-yard touchdown. On November 29, 2015, he tied his season-high of 12 combined tackles and deflected a pass in Seattle's 39–30 victory over the
Pittsburgh Steelers.
He finished the season with 114 combined tackles (67 solo) and seven pass deflections, and was credited with only half a sack in 15 games and 15 starts. This marked his first and only season without a solo sack.
Wagner finished second on the team in tackles, falling two behind leader K. J. Wright. He was voted to the
2016 Pro Bowl and was named to The Associated Press All-Pro second team.
Pro Football Focus
Pro Football Focus (also written as ProFootballFocus, and often referred to by its initials, PFF) is a sports analytics company that focuses on thorough analysis of the National Football League (NFL) and NCAA Division-I football in the United Sta ...
ranked Wagner the 30th-best linebacker in 2015. His teammate K. J. Wright was ranked the sixth-best linebacker by PFF and
Bruce Irvin
Bruce Pernell Irvin Jr. (born November 1, 1987) is an American football outside linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the first round with the 15th overall pick o ...
was ranked 15th.
The
Seattle Seahawks finished second in the NFC West with a 10–6 record. They went on to defeat the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...
, 10–9, in the NFC
Wild Card Round and then lost, 31–24, to the
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...
in the
Divisional Round as Wagner recorded 13 combined tackles. On January 31, 2016, Wagner played in his first Pro Bowl game and recorded ten combined tackles to help
Team Irvin defeat
Team Rice, 49–27, and win the 2016 Pro Bowl.
2016
Wagner and Wright returned to their respective starting roles in 2016 and were joined by
Mike Morgan, who was chosen to replace
Bruce Irvin
Bruce Pernell Irvin Jr. (born November 1, 1987) is an American football outside linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the first round with the 15th overall pick o ...
following his departure in free agency to the
Oakland Raiders.
On September 25, 2016, Wagner recorded six combined, two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by
Blaine Gabbert
Blaine Williamson Gabbert (born October 15, 1989) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Missouri before leaving early for the 2011 NFL Draft after hi ...
during a 37–18 victory over the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
. In Week 9, Wagner made a career-high 16 combined tackles in Seattle's 31–25 win against the
Buffalo Bills. During a Week 16 matchup against the
Arizona Cardinals, he set the single-season franchise record in combined tackles after he surpassed
Terry Beeson's record of 153 tackles. On January 1, 2017, Wright recorded 12 combined tackles, a pass deflection, and sacked
Colin Kaepernick
Colin Rand Kaepernick ( ; born November 3, 1987) is an American civil rights activist and football quarterback who is a free agent. He played six seasons for the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League (NFL). In 2016, he knelt du ...
twice in a 25–23 victory at the San Francisco 49ers. Wagner finished the season as the Seahawks' leading tackler for the third consecutive season with a career-high 167 combined tackles (85 solo), 4.5 sacks, three pass deflections, and an interception in 16 games and 16 starts. He led the NFL in tackles, was named to his third consecutive
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
, and was voted First-team
All-Pro
All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...
. The Seahawks finished with a 10–5–1 record and won the NFC West. In the
Wild Card Round against the
Detroit Lions, he had ten total tackles in the 26–6 victory. In the
Divisional Round loss to the
Atlanta Falcons, he had eight combined tackles. He was ranked 39th by his peers on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.
Pro Football Focus
Pro Football Focus (also written as ProFootballFocus, and often referred to by its initials, PFF) is a sports analytics company that focuses on thorough analysis of the National Football League (NFL) and NCAA Division-I football in the United Sta ...
gave Wagner an overall grade of 90.8 in 2016, finishing third among linebackers behind
Jerrell Freeman (93.9) and
Luke Kuechly (93.1).
2017
On September 17, 2017, he recorded seven combined tackles, deflected two passes, and made his first interception of the season off of a pass by
Brian Hoyer during a 12–9 win over the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
. On November 5, 2017, Wagner recorded a season-high 12 combined tackles, deflected a pass, and sacked
Washington Redskins' quarterback
Kirk Cousins
Kirk Daniel Cousins (born August 19, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan State and was drafted by the team then known as the Washington ...
for the first safety of his career in the Seahawks' 17–14 loss. He finished the season with 133 combined tackles (97 solo), six pass deflections, two interceptions, 1.5 sacks, and a safety in 16 games and 16 starts. On December 19, 2017, Wagner was named to his fourth straight Pro Bowl. The
Seattle Seahawks finished second in the NFC West with a 9–7 record and for that did not qualify for the playoffs for the first time during Wagner's time with the team.
Pro Football Focus
Pro Football Focus (also written as ProFootballFocus, and often referred to by its initials, PFF) is a sports analytics company that focuses on thorough analysis of the National Football League (NFL) and NCAA Division-I football in the United Sta ...
gave Wagner an overall grade of 96.7 which was ranked the best grade among all linebackers. He earned First Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl nominations for the 2017 season. He was ranked No. 21 by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.
Wagner was the recipient of the 2017
Steve Largent Award, which is given annually to the team contributor best exemplifying the spirit, dedication, and integrity of former Seahawk wide receiver
Steve Largent
Stephen Michael Largent (born September 28, 1954) is an American former football wide receiver and politician who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. A member of the Republican Party, he serve ...
.
2018
On December 2, Wagner logged 12 combined tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss, and two takeaways near the goal line in a 43–16 home win over the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
. For his first takeaway, in the second quarter, he forced a fumble from
Jeffery Wilson at the Seahawk 5-yard line, recovered it at the 3, and returned it 11 yards to the 14. Later, in the fourth quarter, he intercepted a pass from
Nick Mullens
Nicholas Clayton Mullens (born March 21, 1995) is an American football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Southern Miss, where he surpassed Brett Favre's single-season r ...
at the 2-yard line and ran it back 98 yards for a touchdown, his first career pick six, to set the Seahawk franchise record for longest play. He earned NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his game against San Francisco. On December 10, against the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...
, Wagner was a part of many key third and fourth down stops as well as blocking a field goal by kicker
Dan Bailey. The block proved to be controversial with the NFL eventually saying he should have been called for a penalty after using his teammates for leverage. Wagner was named first-team All Pro along with teammate
Michael Dickson. The Seahawks finished second in the NFC West and made the playoffs as the No. 5-seed. In the
Wild Card Round loss to the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...
, he had five total tackles. He was named to the Pro Bowl and earned First Team All-Pro. He was ranked 15th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2019
The NFL Top 100 Players of 2019 was the ninth season in the series. It premiered on July 22, 2019 and the final episode aired on July 31, 2019. It started later in the year, and the show was shown in 10 consecutive days instead. Los Angeles Rams ...
.
2019
On July 26, 2019, Wagner signed a three-year, $54 million contract extension with the Seahawks through the 2022 season with $40.2 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid middle linebacker in the league.
In Week 3 against the
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
, Wagner recorded a team high 18 tackles in the 33–27 loss.
In Week 7 against the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
, Wagner recorded a team high 13 tackles in the 30–16 loss.
In Week 8 against the
Atlanta Falcons, Wagner recorded a sack on
Matt Schaub
Matthew Schaub (born June 25, 1981) is a former American football quarterback who played for 17 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Virginia Cavaliers, and was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the th ...
and recovered a fumble lost by
Devonta Freeman in the 27–20 win.
In Week 9 against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...
, Wagner recorded a team high 11 tackles and sacked
Jameis Winston
Jameis Lanaed Winston ( ; born January 6, 1994) is an American football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State, where he became the youngest player to win the He ...
once in the 40–34 overtime win.
In Week 15 against the
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...
, Wagner recorded his first interception of the season off a pass thrown by
Kyle Allen
Kyle Allen (born March 8, 1996) is an American football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). A native of Scottsdale, Arizona, he played high school football at Desert Mountain and was among the top football ...
during the 30–24 win.
In Week 16 against the
Arizona Cardinals, Wagner recorded a team high 13 tackles and sacked
Kyler Murray
Kyler Cole Murray (born August 7, 1997) is an American football quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). Following a stint at Texas A&M, Murray played college football at Oklahoma, where he won the Heisman Trop ...
once during the 27–13 loss. He was named to the Pro Bowl and earned First Team All-Pro honors for the 2019 season. He was ranked 13th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2020.
2020
In Week 8 against the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
, Wagner recorded a team high 11 tackles and sacked
Jimmy Garoppolo
James Richard Garoppolo (born November 2, 1991), nicknamed Jimmy G, is an American football quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Eastern Illinois, where he set the school r ...
twice during the 37–27 win.
On November 4, 2020, Wagner was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in Week 8. He earned Pro Bowl and First Team All-Pro honors. He was ranked 25th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2021.
In the
Wild Card Round of the playoffs against the
Los Angeles Rams, Wagner led the team with 16 tackles (11 solo) and sacked
John Wolford once during the 30–20 loss.
2021: Final year in Seattle
Following the 2021 season, Wagner was named second-team All Pro which ended his five-season streak of first-team All-Pro selections. He earned an eighth consecutive Pro Bowl nomination. He was ranked 29th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2022
NFL Top 100 Players of 2022 is the twelfth season in the NFL Top 100 series. It premiered on August 14, 2022 and concluded on August 28, 2022. Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady was the number one player for the fourth time.
Episode list
...
.
On March 9, 2022, Wagner was released after 10 seasons with the Seahawks.
Los Angeles Rams
Wagner signed a five-year contract worth up to $65 million with the
Los Angeles Rams on March 31, 2022.
NFL career statistics
Regular season
Postseason
References
External links
Los Angeles Rams bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wagner, Bobby
1990 births
Living people
American football linebackers
Los Angeles Rams players
National Conference Pro Bowl players
People from Ontario, California
Players of American football from Los Angeles
Seattle Seahawks players
Sportspeople from San Bernardino County, California
Unconferenced Pro Bowl players
Utah State Aggies football players