One of the top defensive names of this year's free agency pool was former Seattle Seahawks All-Pro LB Bobby Wagner. Rich Eisen, who does not have an agent and represents himself, talked with the free agent about his journey through the free agency process and eventually signing with the Los Angeles Rams.
After 10 seasons in Seattle, he signed a five-year, $50 million contract with the Rams. The Rams were willing to give him the bag, beating out other teams for his services. One thing the Rams had going for them was the fact that they had just won a Super Bowl. Dallas was one of the favorites. Things didn't work out that way for Cowboys fans.
It was a no-brainer for Jerry Jones to sign Wagner, especially since Dan Quinn was the defensive coordinator in Dallas. For his first three years in the NFL, he was the assistant to the head coach in Seattle. It would be one of the architects of the Super Bowl-winning Seattle defense if anyone knew how to implement it.
They couldn't figure it out from a financial situation, but we had a lot of conversations. They had other needs that they wanted to address first. They addressed those needs.
The ball was dropped by Jerry. He recorded 93 solo tackles last season, his most in a year. The price tag was too steep for Jones to pass on a few good years of football left in him. Jones has the ability to pay over $12 million in 2022. Please make that sense.
The missed opportunity reminds me of the rumors about Ray Lewis leaving Baltimore for Dallas in 2009. Lewis stayed with the Ravens as they won another Super Bowl a few years later. If there is mutual interest, you have to do whatever it takes to get the job done.
There is no doubt in my mind that the Cowboys could not have gotten Wagner into the defense. You can always get better, even though they improved vastly last year. They got bounced in the Wild-Card round, not like they had a deep run in the playoffs. Jones didn't want to figure out how to get Bobby in under the salary cap. Jones gave a big-money extension to a wide receiver that probably won't be ready for the start of the season due to an injury.
During his interview with Eisen, he commented on how some of the general managers didn't believe it was him initially. They had to verify that it was his phone number. It sounds crazy, but that is part of the process when you represent yourself.
All hope is not lost as Dallas is projected to take a linebacker in next week's draft. The chances of finding a player similar to the one in question in back-to-back drafts are very slim. Finding a college player that will bring what he would have brought is much less likely.
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