Bobby Wagner signed with the Washington Commanders in free agency, and now the veteran has revealed what made playing for the team so appealing.
Wagner was drawn to the Commanders because of his relationships with Washington's new-look coaching staff, namely Dan Quinn and linebackers coach Ken Norton.
"DQ and Norton were kinda the big things to come and do this," Wagner said. "I just remember a lot of the great times obviously, but just the leadership, the mentorship. The fun that we had, those are kinda the biggest things."
Quinn coached him on the Seattle Seahawks when he was the team's defensive coordinator. The Seahawks went to consecutive Super Bowl appearances in 2013 and 2014, and Wagner was complimentary of him as a football mind.
"DQ does an amazing job of just putting all the players in the right positions and getting the best outta everybody, and then Norton's one of my favorite coaches of all time, so that was enough for me," Wagner said.
Norton has coached Wagner for seven of his 12 seasons as either the linebackers coach or defensive coordinator in Seattle, with Norton helping him develop from being a rookie into an all-time great.
Now Wagner is a seasoned veteran and spoke about what he'll be adding to Washington's defense. "I feel like I bring a leader, someone that you can depend on, a playmaker somebody that's an extension of the coaches," Wagner said.
If Wagner has anything close to the success he had in his earlier years, win Quinn, and can help lead the team not only back into the playoffs but to a Super Bowl, general manager Adam Peters and the Commanders' front office will look like geniuses for assembling a staff that has such strong connections to its players.
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