The Baltimore Ravens were more than a little interested in signing All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner after he was released by the Seattle Seahawks last month, but the Los Angeles native ultimately put pen to paper on a deal with the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams.
Baltimore turned to one of its own for help at the position ahead of the weekend.
Per Jamison Hensley of ESPN, the Ravens re-signed middle linebacker Josh Bynes to a one-year deal on Friday. Financial details were not immediately reported.
Bynes began his third stint with the Ravens when he signed with the organization last September, and he played in 14 games and made 12 starts with the club during the 2021 regular season. The 32-year-old accumulated 76 total tackles, a pair of sacks and four pass breakups over those contests.
It was initially reported last week that Wagner had signed a five-year contract with the Rams worth $50 million that could go up to as high as $65 million if the veteran reaches certain incentives. However, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport later offered more specifics on the agreement:
With Bobby Wagner’s contract official, a look at the numbers:
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 4, 2022
— Functionally, it’s a 2-year deal worth $17.5M base with a chance to make $23.5M with incentives.
— He gets $6.5M in Year 1 — but $10M fully guaranteed, working with the #Rams while they work on Aaron Donald, etc. https://t.co/c3PAjOyU2F
If Bobby Wagner hits the incentives, he can opt-out of the deal and become a free agent or go back to the table with the #Rams. So, he hits the incentives and can cash in again. https://t.co/VgCZEAT53V
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 4, 2022
Rapoport added Wagner gave the Rams somewhat of a discount and turned down more money from the Ravens to remain on the West Coast:
One more note: The #Ravens offered Bobby Wagner a deal paying him $18M over 2, more than the #Rams $17.5M over 2. But LA offered higher incentives and he wanted to stay home in LA, anyway (though the #Ravens impressed him). So Wagner chose the Rams. https://t.co/3XSa1sIjVs
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 4, 2022
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