NY Jets interested in signing LB Bobby Wagner, per report

The NY Jets could be looking to make a big splash at the linebacker position in the form of recently-released Seattle Seahawks legend, Bobby Wagner.

The Seahawks released Wagner earlier in the week after a decade of dominance and what is sure to be a Hall of Fame resume. The Jets are reportedly one of a number of teams that are interested in his services.

NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported on Thursday that the Jets were one of 11 teams showing interest in Wagner following his surprise release. Now, they are just one of 11 teams, of course.

But this does indicate that the Jets are at least intrigued by the idea of adding a player of Wagner's caliber to their linebacker corps. Whether they actually sign him or not remains another story.

Don't expect the NY Jets to sign Bobby Wagner, despite their interest

Wagner is arguably the greatest linebacker of his generation having been named first-team All-Pro on six different occasions. He's been named to eight consecutive Pro Bowls dating back to the 2014 season, his first year in the league.

Even at 31-years-old, Wagner remains one of the best linebackers in the entire NFL. Wagner finished the 2021 season as Pro Football Focus' 15th-ranked linebacker earning a PFF grade of 71.8 as well as a run-defense grade of 76.7 that ranked eighth at his position.

That grade, while still really good, was actually his lowest in over half a decade with Wagner regularly grading out as a top-five linebacker in the NFL over the last six years.

He's been extremely durable having missed just three games over the last seven years, is as incredible of an on-field leader as you're going to find, and is a surefire future Hall of Famer still playing at a high level.

The Jets, and most of the NFL, are obviously going to be interested. That said, it seems highly unlikely they're actually able to sign him.

The Jets already have a lot invested in the linebacker position with C.J. Mosley and his hefty cap hit still under contract. More importantly, however, it's hard to believe that Wagner would sign with a team like the Jets at this stage of his career.

He's likely looking to sign on with a contender, not a team that's won six games in two years. Wagner has history with Robert Saleh dating back to their time together in Seattle, but I can't imagine that will be a strong enough selling point.

The Jets are doing their due diligence, but don't expect Bobby Wagner to be playing his home games in East Rutherford in 2022.