Bobby Wagner continues to survey an active market. After his Rams visit, the future Hall of Fame linebacker trekked to Baltimore for a Ravens meeting Friday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
The Ravens possess “high interest” in Wagner, per Fowler. Wagner has been connected to mostly NFC teams thus far. The Rams, 49ers, Cardinals, Broncos and Cowboys have been linked to the 10-year veteran, though Dallas — despite Wagner and Dan Quinn‘s offseason conversations — is not expected to be a top player here. The Broncos have been mentioned as a suitor as well, with Russell Wilson attempting to recruit his longtime teammate.
Baltimore and Los Angeles reside next to one another in terms of cap space, with the Ravens holding just more than $10MM and the Rams sitting at barely $8MM. Neither team has a notable veteran off-ball linebacker contract on its books. Josh Bynes, a 12-game Baltimore starter last season, is a free agent. The Rams are not big on veteran inside linebacker contracts, given their big-ticket deals at higher-priority positions, but Wagner’s pedigree has GM Les Snead considering an exception.
Wagner, 31, has made the past eight Pro Bowls and is one of the few six-time All-Pros in linebacker annals. He is one shy of Raven cornerstone Ray Lewis‘ seven, though Wagner reached six quicker than the first-ballot Hall of Famer did. The Seahawks made him a cap casualty hours after trading Wilson, severing ties with the franchise’s Super Bowl cornerstones. Despite missing a game, Wagner recorded a career-high 170 tackles last season. The longtime Seattle middle ‘backer has missed just three games in the past seven seasons.
The Ravens devoted a sizable chunk of their offseason funds to Marcus Williams, who signed a five-year deal worth $70MM, and are targeting defensive linemen. But gauging Wagner’s market certainly is not out of character here. The Ravens have not been shy about acquiring proven veteran defenders under Eric DeCosta, having added 30-something Pro Bowlers in Calais Campbell and Justin Houston in recent years and signed ex-Wagner teammate Earl Thomas.