Louis Riddick explains why the Rams were able to land Bobby Wagner. 1:45.
The All-Pro says he has no hatred for the Seattle Seahawks, but still believes they should have handled his release differently.
He signed with the Los Angeles Rams because of the chance to play his old team twice a year.
A lot of people think that it was my decision to play the Seattle. I wanted to be close to home and stay on the West Coast, so I wanted to be happy. It was important to me. I will make sure they see me every time we play them because playing the Seahawks twice a year was a cherry on top. I will make sure I tell them where I am. It will be a loud game for me.
The reigning Super Bowl champion spoke with reporters for the first time since agreeing to a five-year, $50 million contract. According to a source, the deal includes incentives that could make him earn up to $23.5 million through the first two seasons, as well as $20 million in guarantees.
After a 10-year run in Seattle that included eight Pro Bowls, six first-team All-Pro selections, a Super Bowl championship and a franchise-record 1,383 tackles, the Seahawks released him last month.
There was one messy break up.
The team informed him that they were releasing him before Adam Schefter broke the news, but he had already learned of the plan to move on with younger players. He made his feelings known to the team via his social media accounts.
Pete Carroll and John Schneider both took the blame for themiscommunication. He was hoping that there would be a way for Seattle to keep him. Schneider said that the organization owed him better because he didn't have the usual buffer between team and player because he represents himself.
A new contract was not discussed by the Seahawks.
After 10 years, I think it is just a simple communication. I watched their interview. I was grateful when I saw their apology. I felt like that part was weak when they said it was because I represented myself. I still feel like that was a conversation they could have had if I had an agent. That is where I stand with it. I am not going to dwell on it. They have already moved on. I moved on and it is what it is. Even if they wanted to go in a different direction, it could have been a simple conversation after 10 years. I don't think I represented myself well. It is more on their end. Maybe they didn't want to burn that bridge. I feel like through this process and the last process, I have shown that I can handle tough conversations. It is easy to pick up the phone.
I shouldn't have had to find out how I found it. It is what it is. I ended up in a great place.
He never thought he would leave Seattle and always wanted to be there. He had to separate the emotions he was feeling as a player from the job he had to do as his own agent.
The player took it personally, but the agent just went to work. I think a lot of teams did not know that I represented myself. I got in touch with the teams to make sure they knew that I was the person they were going to reach out to. It was a lot of stress because you have been in a place for a long time and there was the idea that you wouldn't leave, but it didn't work out that way.
About 50 miles east of SoFi Stadium is Ontario, California. He still has family in the area, including a nephew who is a senior at Colony High School.
General manager Les Snead said the Rams weren't planning for the opportunity to sign Wagner. Snead said they had internal discussions about how they could get the two of them on the field together, not wanting the up-and-coming Jones to lose playing time. Snead said they told him they would be patient with him and encouraged him to take the time he needed to talk and visit with other teams.
Snead had thought about the one who got away. Jeff Fisher was a big fan of him and the Rams wanted to draft him in the second or third round. Seattle beat them. A new organizational philosophy of being more aggressive for draft prospects that they really want has arisen from that missed opportunity. They call it The Bobby Wagner Rule.
About a thousand tackles later, Snead said, we get Bobby Wagner.
The roster that won Super Bowl LVI has two big-name additions. The Rams have lost a lot of people. The leadership void created by the retirements of left tackle Andrew Whitworth, outside linebacker Von Miller and safety Eric Weddle is one of the reasons why Sean McVay is appealing to Wagner.
There are a few guys in this league that you get a chance to go to after games because you respect their body of work, the way they approach it not only physically but also mentally, and Bobby has always been one of those guys. Not having to play against him is definitely a benefit. He is one of those guys that can fit in any system.
He was asked if he thinks his relationship with the team will get better.
He said that he has no hatred towards Seattle. I don't have a hatred towards the team. I think Pete, John, and Jody Allen are the team's owners. All those guys are amazing. They treated me well while I was there. I have no hate in my heart. Did I not appreciate how they dealt with that? I sent them a text. I let them know how I felt about it. It is what it is. It is not something that I will use as motivation. Regardless of where I play, I am a motivated person. I do not need extra motivation.
The game in Seattle will definitely be interesting.
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