NFL player Bobby Wagner is joining a VC firm alongside former Amazon and Microsoft executives

• NFL star linebacker Bobby Wagner has joined a Seattle-based VC firm as a partner.
• The 30-year old linebacker will be working alongside former Amazon and Microsoft executives.
• The new VC fund is expected to deploy over $100 million to startups across the Pacific Northwest region over the next three to four years.

Seattle Seahawks' Super Bowl champion and six-time Pro-Bowler Bobby Wagner has joined Fuse Venture Partners as a partner.

CNBC on Tuesday reported that the 30-year-old linebacker will be working alongside former Amazon executive Satbir Khanuja, former Microsoft executive John Connors, and a group of investors from Ignition Partners.

Fuse Venture Partners is based out of Seattle and is in its first stage of VC fund investing. The firm reportedly wants to help a new wave e-commerce companies "that are reinventing the modern economy with software."

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"I think it's just really important right now because there's a lot of interesting, innovating software companies coming out of Seattle and we feel like we're not really capturing that," Wagner said on "Squawk Alley" Tuesday morning. "So, we feel that this VC will be able to capture that and provide a unique opportunity for them as well as unique outreach to help build their company, to help expand their company."

The new VC fund is expected to deploy over $100 million to startups across the Pacific Northwest region over the next three to four years, Geekwire reported.

Wagner's business presence has been on display for a few years. In 2019, he negotiated his own $54 million deal with $24.5 million guaranteed at the time he signed, according to Forbes. Wagner was also named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 list after making a handful of investments, including a five-figure investment in startup Denali Therapeutics in 2014, NBC Sports Northwest reported. Wagner additionally joined Andreessen Horowitz's $500,000 minimum investment cultural fund, which includes contributions from Shonda Rhimes and Diddy, per ESPN.

"We feel like we can really capture a lot of the companies that come out of Seattle," Wagner added. "A lot of companies feel like they have to go down to the Bay Area to get the money that they need to build their business, and we don't believe that's true. And we're here to make sure that the companies in Seattle don't leave Seattle."

The Ontario, California native has always been an underdog both on and off the football field. The former two-star recruit's sole offer to play college football came from Utah State, and Wagner accepted it en route to making a name for himself as a four-year starter from 2008 to 2011.

After being named the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year as a senior following a season in which Wagner tallied 147 tackles, four sacks and two interceptions, Wagner went on to become the first player from Utah State to play in the 2012 Senior Bowl since 2004. Wagner was then drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft.

Wagner isn't alone on the list of professional athletes who have gotten into investing.

Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl-winning quarterback Patrick Mahomes took a minority stake in the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday at 24, making him the youngest part owner in sports history. This came after Mahomes signed a 10-year extension worth up to $503 million, making for the largest contract in sports history.

NBA superstar Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors formed a new company SC30 Inc., in June 2018 that manages Curry's investments, brand partnerships and his philanthropic ventures, Forbes reported. Curry also co-founded Slyce in 2015, a marketing automation platform for brand sponsorships and partnerships based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The Golden State Warriors' Kevin Durant has also invested in various startups.