Michael Jordan Advise Helped Linebacker Land 3-Year $54 Million Deal

Seattle Seahawks inside linebacker Bobby Wagner recently signed a new three-year deal with the NFL team worth $54 million and he did it without the help of an agent. He conducted the negotiations himself and the main reason for it was his desire to get some “real world experience” in order to be better prepared for life after football.

Wagner signed the new deal last week to become the highest paid inside linebacker in the NFL. On Sunday, he spoke to ESPN about the deal and his decision to enter into negotiations without an agent and went on to reveal that a six-time NBA champion and certified sporting legend, Michael Jordan, advised him on going solo into contract negotiations.

"We got a chance to really sit down and just have a conversation with him," Wagner said talking about the conversation that occurred earlier in the year during a trip to France that Jordan had organized for several Jordan brand athletes, as quoted on ESPN. "We talked about his playing days, talked about his mindset -- tried to steal some of his mindset -- talked about training, talked about a bunch of different things."

“I asked him how he would feel if one of the players came and tried to negotiate a deal. What would be different? How would he see it? We just talked about a lot. It's just really cool to have a guy like that in your corner and have a guy like that willing to take the time to speak to you and take the time to give you that knowledge, pass the knowledge down. I felt like I could have asked him anything,” he added.

Wagner admitted that the entire process needed special focus similar to when the athlete is on the field. While the linebacker is glad to have got the deal sorted, he admitted that it was easier and concluded without any delays because both the player and the franchise wanted to reach a positive solution that sees him remain a Seahawk.

"It's a focus," he said. "Just like when you play in football and playing during the season, it's a certain level of focus that you want to be great that you want to apply, so trying to get a deal done there was a certain amount of focus that I had to have to ultimately get the deal done. But I felt like you had a guy who wanted to be here, you had a team who wanted him here, there was respect on both sides and that's always a good recipe to get a deal done."