Bobby Wagner confirming mutual interest highlights Cowboys’ failure

The Seattle Seahawks released linebacker Bobby Wagner on March 8. After ten years as a linebacker in Seattle, Wagner tweeted that he didn’t even hear from the team that he wasn’t coming back. This sent shockwaves around the NFL but mostly got many organizations excited about the potential of having the former Seahawk on their roster. One team interested in the 8x Pro Bowler was the Dallas Cowboys.

The Cowboys had expressed wanting linebacker help in order to give more depth to the position and to allow star rookie Micah Parsons to continue having a versatile role lining up all over the defense. Wagner would easily and effectively fill that need. Plus, Wagner had a Dallas connection. The Super Bowl champ worked with Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn when Quinn was the DC for the famous “Legion of Boom” in Seattle.

Many were shocked that Wagner was still on the board over two weeks after being cut. But, when the former Seahawk revealed his lofty asking price, it wasn’t entirely a surprise that teams weren’t wanting to pay all that much – especially the Cowboys who are known for shopping the bargain bin.

Reports went back and forth about whether Wagner was coming to the Cowboys or not. Most felt it was never really a possibility given the Joneses weren’t willing to pay big contracts to anyone regardless of talent. But a recent comment from Wagner makes Dallas’s failure to bring the linebacker in hurt a bit more. In an interview with CNBC this week, the linebacker revealed that the Cowboys’ frugal nature was the reason he ended up with the Los Angeles Rams.

Bobby Wagner said there was mutual interest between him and the Cowboys saying he and the team “had multiple conversations”

Whether you think this signing was going to happen or not shouldn’t really matter. The man wanted to play in Dallas and was worth a contract. Here’s more from Wagner:

"“That was a real thing. We had conversations. I love Dan Quinn and have a lot of respect for him, but between their needs and what they were willing to spend, we couldn’t agree. But there was mutual interest.”"

This confirmation from Wagner just pushes the dagger of the Cowboys’ overall mishandling of the offseason a little further into the gut. The veteran would go on to sign a five-year, $50 million with the Rams a lengthy 23 days after being cut by Seattle. Was that cheap? No. But did Dallas have money to spend after losing Randy Gregory and Amari Cooper? Absolutely. If the Joneses would’ve loosened their wallets a bit, Wagner could’ve been a key blockbuster signing for America’s Team this offseason.

Instead, he joins an already stacked NFC rival roster – a team the Cowboys will face in 2022. Again, it’s not surprising that the front office didn’t spend the money. They clearly hate doing it. But, why? Has the bargain bin done anything good for them in the last several years?