Bobby Wagner is just as pumped about his reunion with the Seattle Seahawks as the team’s fans are about him returning to his old stomping ground.

“Happy to be back,” Bobby Wagner said via text message about his return to the Seahawks (h/t Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network).

Bobby Wagner has decided to run it back with the Seahawks following a year with the Los Angeles Rams. In 2022, the Seahawks released the future Hall of Famer linebacker, who would then make a move to join the Rams. Wagner’s tenure with Los Angeles did not pan out anywhere close to how it envisioned it would be, at least from a team perspective, as the Rams struggled all season long and even missed the boat to the NFL playoffs despite being the then-reigning Super Bowl champions.

Still, Bobby Wagner was still able to make a mark on the field last season, coming up with two interceptions, six sacks, and 140 combined tackles across 17 games (all starts) for the Rams. Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of 90.7, 91.1 rating on run defense, 79.6 on pass rush, and 77.9 on coverage that year.

One of the top priorities of the Seahawks this offseason is to improve their defense. It was a letdown in 2022, as Seattle allowed 24.6 points per game and 369.7 total yards per contest — 25th and 28th in the NFL, respectively.

Wagner, who has agreed to a one-year deal worth $7 million to return to the Seahawks, will not just be bringing tangible production on the field for Seattle in 2023 but a respectable presence in the locker room that the team needs.