Just one day after giving quarterback Russell Wilson a big time deal, the Seattle Seahawks decided to do the same for one of their defensive stars. Seattle signed All-Pro middle linebacker Bobby Wagner to a four-year, $43 million contract extension on Saturday night.
Seahawks owner Paul Allen confirmed the deal on Twitter, the same place where Wagner tweeted "Can't keep everyone" after the announcement of Wilson's deal. Many believed that was a sign of the way contract talks were going between himself and the team.
Less than 24 hours later, the Seahawks put those doubts to rest, making Wagner the highest-paid middle linebacker in the league. Seattle has now taken care of their top two priorities in the off-season, which was signing Wilson and Wagner, who are both heading into their fourth year in the league.
It will be interesting to see how the team handles both big deals, as Wilson received a $31 million signing bonus, bringing his cap number over $8 million. They were hoping to keep Wilson's cap number around $5 million, with Wagner's around $3.5 million.
Wagner admitted that he contemplated holding out, but showed up for the start of training camp to avoid paying a fine. He was an All-Pro last season and has been the club's starting middle linebacker since being drafted in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft.
Seattle can now rest when it comes to contracts with their star quarterback signed, and most of their defensive stars locked up over the next three years.
Seahawks owner Paul Allen confirmed the deal on Twitter, the same place where Wagner tweeted "Can't keep everyone" after the announcement of Wilson's deal. Many believed that was a sign of the way contract talks were going between himself and the team.
Less than 24 hours later, the Seahawks put those doubts to rest, making Wagner the highest-paid middle linebacker in the league. Seattle has now taken care of their top two priorities in the off-season, which was signing Wilson and Wagner, who are both heading into their fourth year in the league.
It will be interesting to see how the team handles both big deals, as Wilson received a $31 million signing bonus, bringing his cap number over $8 million. They were hoping to keep Wilson's cap number around $5 million, with Wagner's around $3.5 million.
Wagner admitted that he contemplated holding out, but showed up for the start of training camp to avoid paying a fine. He was an All-Pro last season and has been the club's starting middle linebacker since being drafted in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft.
Seattle can now rest when it comes to contracts with their star quarterback signed, and most of their defensive stars locked up over the next three years.
