Wagner: Seahawks' coaching change won't impact free-agency decision

Bobby Wagner is making it clear that he's not going to leave the Seattle Seahawks just because Pete Carroll is no longer the head coach.

"It doesn't affect anything," Wagner said Friday at the Pro Bowl Games, according to NFL.com's Grant Gordon. "I wanna keep playing ball, I wanna keep showing I can play at a high level."

Carroll agreed to step down as Seattle's coach after 14 seasons, although he'll remain with the Seahawks as an advisor. Seattle then hired Mike Macdonald, who helped the Ravens lead the league in scoring defense as their defensive coordinator in 2023.

Although Wagner said he heard great things about Macdonald from Baltimore players, the veteran linebacker isn't "married to the idea" of returning to Seattle.

"Obviously, I want to be in Seattle, but I also know the business; I've been around a long time," he said.

The former All-Pro said in December that he's "100%" committed to returning in 2024 for his 13th season, according to The News Tribune's Gregg Bell.

But whether he's playing with the Seahawks or elsewhere, Wagner admitted that Seattle's sideline won't be the same without Carroll.

"When you think of (the) Seahawks, you think of Pete Carroll," he said, per Gordon. "It's natural because he's been there for ... 14 years. And so, not seeing that face connected to the Seahawks is always gonna be surprising."

Wagner led the league in tackles for the third time in his career after recording 183 in 2023. The Utah State product has played 11 of his 12 seasons with Seattle and was a member of the team's Super Bowl XLVIII-winning roster.

Wagner, who doesn't have an agent, signed a one-year, $5.5-million deal with Seattle last March after playing for the Los Angeles Rams in 2022. Free agency begins March 13.