Dan Quinn has reunited with multiple Cowboys since taking over as Commanders head coach; he will now circle back to one of his former Seahawks charges who remains active.
Bobby Wagner is heading to Washington on a one-year deal worth $6M guaranteed, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. Quinn coached Wagner during his run as Seahawks defensive coordinator, overseeing the former second-round pick’s breakthrough years. Wagner, who will join a third team in three years, can max out at $8.5M on his latest NFL contract.
Wagner, 33, will head from Los Angeles to Seattle to Washington in a three-season span. But the future Hall of Famer has remained productive into his 30s. Wagner is riding a remarkable streak of 10 straight seasons with a first- or second-team All-Pro honor on his resume. The past two years have brought second-team distinctions, but Wagner will stroll into the Hall of Fame following his career. A Washington chapter may well become part of his Canton montage.
The Seahawks were viewed as unlikely to bring Wagner back, despite the 12-year veteran excelling upon returning to Seattle. Wagner will also reunite with ex-Seahawks DC Ken Norton Jr., whom Washington hired as linebackers coach. This marks the second straight year the Commanders will bring in a Seahawks linebacker; they signed Cody Barton to a one-year deal in 2023. This year, the Commanders are bringing in two of the NFL’s most productive linebackers over the past two years, with Frankie Luvu heading to D.C. as well.
A 2012 second-round draft choice, Wagner played under Quinn for two years. The Seahawks brought him back to replace Gus Bradley as DC in 2013 and ’14. Wagner quickly becoming a star — for back-to-back Seahawks Super Bowl teams — helped Quinn land the Falcons’ HC job. Of the troops on Quinn’s two Seattle defenses, Wagner is the only one left playing.
Pro Football Focus rated Wagner seventh among linebackers; despite his age, the Utah State alum led the NFL with a career-high 183 tackles. That doubled as Wagner’s third tackles title. Over the past two seasons with the Rams and Seahawks, Wagner also took on a bigger role as a blitzer, totaling 9.5 sacks in that span. Over the past two years, Wagner has combined for 21 tackles for loss.
Although teams do not make a habit of handing out notable money to aging linebackers, Wagner and Lavonte David have collected decent guarantees on one-year pacts this week. Wagner will bring six first-team All-Pro honors to Washington, representing a leadership presence as Quinn and football ops boss Adam Peters — an ex-49ers exec who has certainly seen his fair share of the decorated linebacker — attempts to craft a turnaround effort.
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