The Seattle Seahawks decided to trade Russell Wilson and release Bobby Wagner in the same week. Two pillars of the organization are gone, and the sharks are circling for Wagner.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, every other team in the NFC West is interested in Wagner.
“He is going to get significant interest on the free agent market,” Rapoport said. “Do not be surprised if he actually stays in the division. There is already interest in Wagner from three times that he played against twice a year when he was in Seattle.”
The 49ers will have other immediate priorities after they trade Jimmy Garoppolo with Laken Tomlinson and D.J. Jones on the market, plus extensions for Deebo Samuel and Nick Bosa to sort out. But San Francisco can clear another $6.5 million by cutting Samson Ebukam, and save even more by extending Jimmie Ward and restructuring Arik Armstead’s deal.
Linebacker wouldn’t seem to be high on the priority list, but it could be a matter of keeping Wagner away from division rivals as much as it would be from reaping the rewards of pairing him with Fred Warner.