Tackle Rick Wagner comes in at No. 24 on PFT’s list of this year’s top 100 free agents and it looks like several teams around the league will have him higher than that on their own shopping lists.
Wagner is coming off a strong year with the Ravens, who drafted him in the fifth round of the 2013 draft and installed him as a starter the next year. A return to Baltimore doesn’t appear to be in the cards.
Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reported over the weekend that “the ship has sailed” on Wagner because of how much money the Ravens expect he’ll be offered on the open market. Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reported Tuesday that Wagner will “blow the lid” off the top of the market for right tackles.
Lane Johnson of the Eagles is at the top of that group with a deal averaging $11.25 million a year, but that deal reflects the team’s expectation that he’ll wind up at left tackle before the deal is out. Bryan Bulaga of the Packers, Mitchell Schwartz of the Chiefs and Marcus Cannon of the Patriots all average between $6.5 million and $6.75 million.
Garafolo names the Vikings, Lions, Bears and Texans as potential bidders for Wagner’s services. A clearer picture of where he’s headed should come into focus over the next couple of days.