3 Seahawks who won’t be back after giving Leonard Williams $20M-plus per year

1) Bobby Wagner's lengthy Seahawks career will come to an end

After Bobby Wagner signed with the Rams ahead of the 2022 season, it was assumed that his lengthy Seahawks career had finally reached its endpoint. Wagner spent each of his first ten seasons in Seattle and established himself as one of the premier linebackers in the sport.

Fortunately, Wagner made his return to Seattle on a cheap deal for the 2023 campaign and he actually had a big year. The 33-year-old appeared in every game for Seattle and led the league and set a career-high with 183 tackles. Wagner's 11 tackles for loss were his most in a season since 2017.

That big of a year showed that Wagner is not on the cusp of retiring and can actually make a lot of money in free agency. He won't sign a lengthy deal considering his age, but a short-term high-AAV deal should work. With Leonard Williams back at such a high AAV, it's hard to see how Seattle can fit Wagner into their plans barring he accepts a massive hometown discount.

Losing a player like Wagner who is a leader in addition to his play on the field will hurt, but bringing him back at this juncture does not seem feasible thanks in large part to Williams.