Rams release Bobby Wagner

Obviously, we will get more details down the road, but my first impression of this move is . . . it’s damn stupid. Big mistake. Wagner is an All-Pro who brings major intangibles to the Rams, with leadership and toughness at the top of the list. This is going to hurt their defense big time, and it’s just so unnecessary.

Seems like another case of trying to be “nice” to the player, instead of thinking Team First.

A frustrating start to the offseason already.

This is a bad sign, imo. Looks like Rams insiders (including Wagner) don’t think the Rams have enough to compete for a championship. And that they don’t think they can address their needs this year.

Zooey wrote:

This is a bad sign, imo. Looks like Rams insiders (including Wagner) don’t think the Rams have enough to compete for a championship. And that they don’t think they can address their needs this year.

Agreed.

What do you think about this part, Zooey?

Wagner met with the Rams on Thursday for a conversation that one source characterized as really positive, and truly mutual. If it weren’t, the Rams could have saved more money against the cap by cutting or trading Wagner after June 1.

But that wouldn’t have allowed Wagner to pick his next team or would have meant joining a new team way too late in the offseason to fully onboard with them at his position.

Wagner is closing in on the final years of his career, and with all the uncertainty surrounding the rest of the Rams’ roster, it’s understandable if he wanted to find a situation that felt more “sure.” That’s why this is mutual.

It’s not on the Rams to help a player find his ideal landing spot in his ideal time frame, especially if it costs the Rams serious talent, and in this case, cap room too.

You can’t build a sustainable winner by worrying so much about accommodating individual players and their futures elsewhere. Treat them with respect, definitely. But the Rams should always come first.

I’m fine with it.   I think its classy, and gaining a classy-rep may reap benefits down the road.

They were not gonna win a ring next year, with or without Wagner.   But they can still be a playoff team.

They need a couple more weapons on offense, a pass-rusher, and they need to pray they have what they need on the OLine.

w

v

For the record, BW leaving now saves the Rams 5 M.

Follow up from Turf Show Times. This is, to me at least, clear as mud:

https://www.turfshowtimes.com/2023/2/23/23612725/bobby-wagner-release-rams-salary-cap-2023

Bobby Wagner release is likely post-June 1 designation; what that means for Rams

The Rams were looking to save as much money as possible for right now
By Kenneth Arthur@KennethArthuRS Feb 23, 2023, 5:52pm CST 12 Comments / 12 New

The Los Angeles Rams made shocking news on Thursday with the report that they agreed to mutually part ways with star linebacker Bobby Wagner, only one year into a five-year contract at $50 million. The news means a lucrative year for Wagner and an opportunity for him to hit free agency again and to cash in on another payday.

The question for Rams are left with: Why now and what does it mean?

Well, the early reports suggest that the Rams aren’t going to release Wagner just yet and that he won’t be a free agent until March 15, like every other free agent. This is in contrast to an example such as Derek Carr, who the Raiders have already cut, allowing the quarterback to already meet with the New Orleans Saints and New York Jets. According to Mike Garafolo, Wagner won’t be officially on the market for three more weeks, which tells us that he’s most likely a post-June 1 designation.

As a post-June 1 designation, the Rams will be able to spread out Wagner’s dead cap penalty over two years instead of one. That’s significant. It means that L.A. will save $8 million against the 2023 salary cap instead of the $5 million that was expected.

It also means that the Rams will carry a more notable dead cap hit for Wagner in 2024, so this is probably a move that signals that L.A. wants to keep building their roster for 2023. This probably isn’t a “give up and rebuild long-term” release, as many initially felt. Or…it could just mean that the Rams are still over the 2023 salary cap ($6.8 million per OvertheCap.com after the post-June 1 release) and they need to clear out as much space as possible.

Wagner isn’t the last domino to fall. Is he the last domino to fall moving out though, and how many dominos are falling in?

 

Zooey wrote:

This is a bad sign, imo. Looks like Rams insiders (including Wagner) don’t think the Rams have enough to compete for a championship. And that they don’t think they can address their needs this year.

Wagner’s leaving makes me sad.

And it certainly could mean the Rams don’t see themselves as contenders this season.

However, there is a simpler explanation than to claim the best team on the planet isn’t ready to return to title contention a mere single season after the flukiest, injury-riddled year in league history.  A claim that any hopefull Seattle or SF fan would make, btw, which is why you undoubtedly made it.

I submit that the Rams wanted to keep Wagner and would have if not for the residual  Seahawk stench that must be emanating from every pore of his body.

Think about it – he was a Seahawk for OVER A DECADE. With that length of exposure, there isn’t going to be enough Rightguard on the planet to mask the resulting odor.  He was immersed in the combined fetor of Wilson, Sherman, Lynch, and Carrol for years and years.

And Tate.  Don’t forget that f’***ing Tate.

Imagine what it must have been like for Rams players to share the cramped quarters of a locker room, team bus, and team plane with him (I speculate a similar experience could be had by spending several hours in wv’s living room).

That could also explain the rash of “injuries”.  Players faking or purposely injuring themselves to get away from the smell.

It also probably fueled the rumors of McVay’s and Donald’s retirements.  I’m surprised they were the only ones included in this speculation.

Anyway, I bet they never sign another longtime Seahawk ever again.  And don’t even consider a**holes like Kittle and Deebo when their current contracts expire.  That would be several orders of magnitude worse.

Does anyone here understand how a March release can have a Post-June 1st cut designation?

NFL rules and regs are weird.

The Floyd and Ramsey stuff has to be placed in the “Rumor” category until it happens, but the way the wind is blowing, it sure seems like the Rams are clearing cap space by getting rid of players who seemed to be at the core of the philosophy that won them a Super Bowl.

It seemed apparent to me that the Rams were investing in critical superstars, and filling the roster with players they acquired by stockpiling a lot of 3rd day draft picks.

Now they seem to be shedding that core, and I don’t know what to make of that. To me, losing Wagner, Floyd, and Ramsey without apparent heirs on the roster is crazy. We are now down to Donald on defense.

On offense, there is Kupp and an aging Stafford. And whatever Cam Akers shows up.

That’s not a competitive roster. And I don’t get it.