NFL Rumors: Former Packers WR takes salt in his tea, Seahawks out on Bobby Wagner, and Bill O’Brien griddy lessons
By Kristen Wong
Today’s NFL rumors surround Allen Lazard being salty toward the Packers franchise, the Seahawks getting their linebacker of the future (not named Bobby Wagner), and Pats OC Bill O’Brien needing to teach some griddy lessons.
We’re only a few days into NFL free agency, and there’s plenty of drama to go around. The talk of the league right now is the intense staring contest between the Green Bay Packers and the New York Jets as they try to negotiate an Aaron Rodgers trade.
The Packers don’t want to give him away for cheap, but they also definitely don’t want to absorb his contract in 2023. The Jets aren’t about to give up two first-rounders for Rodgers and want to strike a fair deal. Who will blink first? Given how long the Rodgers saga has already been dragged out, this could take a while.
As Rodgers happily watches two teams fight over him (“He’s not your quarterback anymore, just let him go!” “No! He’s technically still on our team and he’s worth a thousand Zach Wilsons!”), players continue to get signed and re-signed left and right with several high-profile stars figuring out their futures this season.
Let’s take a look at three of the biggest NFL rumors circulating today.
NFL Rumors: Seahawks stomp Bobby Wagner reunion rumors, sign LB Devin Bush in free agency
The Seattle Seahawks inked linebacker Devin Bush to a one-year contract this free agency, possibly squashing the possibility of a Bobby Wagner reunion.
Bush, a former first-round pick by the Steelers, visited Seattle last Thursday and agreed to a short-term deal, the financial details of which have not yet been revealed.
Bush plugs a massive hole on the Seahawks’ defense as Seattle’s inside linebacker corps looks the weakest it has been in recent history. Last season, Jordyn Brooks and Cody Barton served as the team’s go-to starters, but Brooks is recovering from an ACL tear and Barton has since left for Washington in free agency.
The Seahawks get a young, high-upside hitter in the 24-year-old Bush, who made history in his first year of the NFL as the only Steelers rookie to record more than 100 tackles in a single season. Yet injuries hindered Bush’s production for the past two years, and the once-promising linebacker talent eventually got phased out of Pittsburgh’s starting rotation.
In Seattle, Bush gets a breath of fresh air with a near-guarantee that he will hold a starting spot….unless the Seahawks bring Bobby Wagner back.
It’s unclear whether Wagner would consider a reunion with his former team after getting released by the Los Angeles Rams this offseason. Just to venture a guess: if Wagner wanted to, Pete Carroll would probably welcome him back with open arms.
He’s no Russell Wilson, after all. And the Seahawks defense needs all the help it can get after ranking at the bottom of the league in points and yards allowed last season.