Seattle Seahawks: Bobby Wagner deal more crucial than Frank Clark’s

The Seattle Seahawks will try to get deals done with Bobby Wagner and Frank Clark this offseason. In the end, Wagner should be the priority.

The Seattle Seahawks front office has its work cut out for it. The team recently made star quarterback Russell Wilson the highest paid player in league history in terms of annual salary, but there’s no time to celebrate or rest. As soon as the draft wraps up, general manager John Schneider will be returning to the negotiating table to hammer out more extensions for star players.

Here’s the tricky situation the Seahawks are in: Defensive end Frank Clark has yet to sign the franchise tag and says he won’t report until a long-term deal is in place, All-Pro middle linebacker Bobby Wagner is in the final year of his deal and rising star defensive tackle Jarran Reed is in the final year of his rookie deal.

The one positive is that the Seahawks have that much talent in the first place, but you can’t envy Schneider one bit. The negotiations that will take place over the next few months will be grueling, and the Seahawks might be forced to make some tough decisions about the team’s future.

More from NFL Spin Zone

• Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
• Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
• Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
• Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
• Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens

When the draft is done and the Seahawks have time to set their priorities, Wagner should be the first of this trio to get an extension. While he’ll be turning 29 years old later this year and Clark is just shy of 26, but Wagner is a generational talent at his position. How else can you explain his five Pro Bowls and four First-Team All-Pro selections over the past five years?

Luke Kuechly is the only other middle linebacker in the league right now that is as talented as Wagner and that just shows how rare his talent is. If Seattle loses Wagner, they may not find another player like him for decades.

This is not to diminish what Clark has done; he’s proven he can play at a near Pro Bowl level, but defensive ends are just easier to find than Hall-of-Fame caliber middle linebackers.

While Clark might have 32 sacks in the last three years, he’s not even a top-10 pass rusher in the league in terms of skill. He also lacks the impact in the run game that great defensive ends have. I wouldn’t suggest the Seahawks draft a pass rusher this year, but just look at how many sack artists there are in the current draft class. As great as Clark is, he’s more replaceable than Wagner.

There’s also the financial side of things to consider. On the franchise tag, Clark would make $17.128 million in 2019. DeMarcus Lawrence signed a deal this offseason worth $21 million per year and Trey Flowers signed one worth $18 million annually. It seems reasonable to assume that Clark will seek at least $18 million annually, but he could try to demand closer to $21 million. That’s a huge cap hit that the Seahawks might not be comfortable with.

On the other hand, the highest paid middle linebacker in the league is C.J. Mosley, who signed a deal this summer worth $17 million a year. Kuechly is in second place, all the way down at roughly $12.36 million annually.

If Wagner demands a deal larger than Mosley’s, which is reasonable considering the skill difference, the Seahawks would likely be committing less money than what Clark’s deal would demand. Paying less money for a more impactful player seems like the more favorable and important deal for the Seahawks.

There’s always the chance that the Seahawks end up trading Clark and dodge this decision entirely, but the team surely wants to hold on to as many star players as possible. That’s how the Legion of Boom was built after all, through wise drafting and spending.