After one season together, the Los Angeles Rams and linebacker Bobby Wagner are separating.
With the Rams approximately $13.7 million over the salary cap heading toward the new league year, according to the Roster Management System, Wagner and the Rams mutually agreed to part ways Thursday.
When Wagner’s release becomes official, the Rams will save $5 million in salary cap space, but they will also incur a $7.5 million dead money charge. The Rams have the option of designating Wagner a post-June 1 release, which would save them $8 million, though that savings can’t be credited to their cap until this summer. If Wagner had remained on the roster on the fifth day of the 2023 league year, his $7.5 million base salary and a $2.5 million roster bonus due in 2024 would have become guaranteed.
Wagner, 32, joined the Rams after signing a five-year, $50 million deal with $20 million in guarantees on March 31, 2022. He earned second-team All-Pro honors after posting 140 tackles, a career-high 6 sacks, 2 interceptions and 5 passes defended while starting all 17 games. Pro Football Focus rated Wagner as the top linebacker in the NFL last season.