"Wish I could have handled things better" - Seahawks GM John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll regret cutting Bobby Wagner in cold fashion
Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll regret the manner in which the team parted ways with eight-time Pro Bowler Bobby Wagner.
The 31-year-old linebacker found out he was cut via social media in a bizarre situation.
Crazy part about all this. I played there for 10 years & I didn’t even hear it from them that I wasn’t coming back.
Schneider spoke on Wednesday, along with Carroll, at a press conference and stated that it was tricky having a player represent himself, but went on to say that he wishes it could have been handled better.
Schneider said:
"It's always somewhat awkward when a player represents himself. We've had some very high-profile individuals represent themselves here, and you never know exactly what's going to happen at the end of the day. So to approach somebody and say, 'There may be a possible trade. Would you consider this?' And then that player comes back to you, that's not a good situation. So from a timing standpoint, I wish I would have handled things differently."
Head coach Pete Carroll then chimed in and said that with the Russell Wilson news coming out the same day, the pair were aiming to try and make sure Wagner stayed with the team and that he wished the timing was better.
Carroll said:
"I'm guilty, too, because I didn't want it to happen. I wanted Bobby to stay with us forever, and so I kept encouraging John, 'Let's see what all the options could possibly be so maybe there's a way out that we don't have to do this.' So each day was crucial as we were drawing closer to it. And then really, it seemed like when Russell's news went out, then everything hit the fan kind of thing. We were supposed to meet with Bobby a couple days after that, and the timing just didn't work out right. I regret that we didn't do a better job timing wise."
Carroll added:
"I don't know how he heard. You all were talking about it left and right, and then your articles were all over the internet and everything about [the possibility of Wagner being released], so the suggestions were out. But ... it's a hard deal. It's really hard."
Seahawks rebuilding with Wilson and Wagner gone
With Wilson traded to Denver and Wagner released, the Seahawks have some big holes to fill. The quarterback position will likely be priority number one, but where can they turn their attention?
Colin Kaepernick has been in direct contact with Carroll and even sent workout videos to the head coach. Other quarterbacks like Jimmy Garoppolo, Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston and even Baker Mayfield could be available, so there are a few options for the Seahawks.
I'm told the #Seahawks have discussed exploring acquiring Baker Mayfield at quarterback, per league sources.
While there is still a lot to play out over the next couple of weeks and months, the way in which the Wagner situation was handled certainly left a sour taste in the mouth of all the parties involved.