Bobby Wagner expects 2019 to be his final season with the Seattle Seahawks. The four-time All-Pro wants to retire as a Seahawk, he said, but grasps the reality that comes with paying your quarterback more than $35 million per season.
FILE PHOTO: Jan 5, 2019; Arlington, TX, USA; Seattle Seahawks middle linebacker Bobby Wagner (54) reacts after stopping Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) short of a first down in the second half in a NFC Wild Card playoff football game at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Shane Roper-USA TODAY Sports
Already Wagner watched the Seahawks let go of cornerback Richard Sherman, defensive end Michael Bennett, safety Earl Thomas and most recently trade franchise-tagged defensive end Frank Clark to the Kansas City Chiefs.
“I’m preparing like this is my last year as a Seahawk. If it is, I want to make sure I go out with a bang and make sure I give the city something to remember,” Wagner told NFL Network.
Wagner’s contract is set to expire at the end of the 2019 season, paying him $10.5 million in base salary. Wagner will be 30 during the 2020 season. While his expiration date is debatable, his production with the Seahawks is undeniable. He has more tackles in the last five seasons than anyone in the NFL.
—Suspended wide receiver Martavis Bryant is planning to apply for reinstatement in the near future, ESPN reported.
Bryant, a former member of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders, has been suspended three times in the past four years for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Bryant hopes to sign with an NFL team before training camps open in July.
On Monday, the unrestricted free agent indicated he has been seeking league approval to see a counselor near his home in Las Vegas, one that has helped him in the past. Bryant, now 27, reportedly violated the NFL’s substance abuse policy during the 2018 offseason.
—Time, apparently, is on Philip Rivers’ side. The veteran quarterback, entering the final year of his deal with the Los Angeles Chargers, told reporters Monday that he would be content to play out the season without an extension to his current contract.
Asked if he feels any pressure to come to an agreement with the Chargers on a new deal before the 2019 season stars, Rivers said, “There really isn’t. I’m certainly thankful for that if that opportunity comes. I’m just fine right where we are.”
Rivers, who will turn 38 in December, is in the final season of a four-year, $83.25 million contract extension that pays him a base salary of $11 million in 2019 and includes a no-trade clause.
—Washington Redskins quarterback Colt McCoy is not participating in the offseason program as he continues his recovery from a broken right leg.
Asked by reporters when he expected McCoy to be ready to practice, head coach Jay Gruden replied, “Hopefully training camp.” Whenever the 32-year-old McCoy returns, he will join a quarterback competition with Case Keenum and first-round draft pick Dwayne Haskins.
McCoy appeared in three games (two starts) last season after starter Alex Smith was hurt. He completed 34 of 54 passes for 372 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions before fracturing his right fibula on Dec. 3 at Philadelphia.
—Veteran guard Richie Incognito worked out for the Oakland Raiders, NFL Network reported.
Incognito, 35, last played for the Buffalo Bills in 2017. He announced his retirement in April 2018 due to health reasons. “My liver and kidneys are shutting down,” he told the Buffalo News at that time. “The stress is killing me. It’s just about doing what’s right. I just want to be in the Hall of Fame.”
A four-time Pro Bowl selection, Incognito has started 150 career games with the St. Louis Rams, Miami Dolphins and Bills. “Word is he’s in shape and feeling well in all aspects. Wants to play again,” NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo tweeted Monday.
—The Miami Dolphins are in talks with former Green Bay Packers linebacker Nick Perry, the Miami Herald reported.
Perry, 29, was released in March after a knee injury limited him to nine games and 24 tackles in 2018. The Packers’ 2012 first-round draft pick played in 81 games (48 starts), registering 228 tackles, 46 quarterback hits, 32 sacks and seven forced fumbles.
Perry set career highs with 11 sacks and 52 tackles in 2016. He was cut two seasons into a five-year, $60 million contract that included an $18.5 million signing bonus.
—In voting by New England fans, former safety Rodney Harrison was chosen to become the 29th player inducted into the Patriots’ Hall of Fame.
Harrison played the last six seasons (2003-08) of his 15-year NFL career with the Patriots, helping them finish the 2003 and 2004 campaigns with back-to-back Super Bowl wins. In Super Bowl XXXIX, his fourth-quarter interception ended Philadelphia’s final drive and clinched a 24-21 victory against the Eagles.
Harrison joins offensive tackle Leon Gray, selected by a 10-person senior selection committee in April, as the 2019 honorees. The date and time for the ceremony will be announced later.
—The Carolina Panthers plan to induct Jake Delhomme and Steve Smith into its Hall of Honor along with offensive tackle Jordan Gross and tight end Wesley Walls. They will join linebacker Sam Mills, who had been the only player honored by the 25-year-old franchise.
Smith is one of the most recognizable players in franchise history for his 13 years with the Panthers. Smith had 836 catches for 12,197 yards and 67 touchdowns with the Panthers and finished his career with the Baltimore Ravens.
Delhomme played 11 seasons in the NFL and seven with the Panthers, including the 2003 season that ended in a heartbreaking Super Bowl XXXVIII loss to the New England Patriots on Adam Vinatieri’s game-winner in Houston. He passed for 19,258 yards and 120 TDs with Carolina.
—DeMarcus Ware is ready to come back to the Cowboys, especially if he can work a two-days-a-week schedule in Dallas.
Ware, the all-time leader in sacks in team history, said he is open to becoming a pass-rushing consultant with the Cowboys in a similar part-time role to the job he had with the Denver Broncos in 2018. Ware and the Cowboys discussed the job last spring but couldn’t come to an agreement.
Ware worked voluntarily with the Cowboys last year, and said he saw benefits for both defensive linemen and offensive linemen. The Cowboys brought in defensive end Robert Quinn to pair with Demarcus Lawrence and selected Joe Jackson in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
—Field Level Media