Washington Commanders LB Bobby Wagner One of the Best Over 30 Players in the NFL

One of the best then, and still one of the best now as Bobby Wagner joins the Washington Commanders.

David Harrison | Jul 15, 2024

Nov 3, 2019; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks middle linebacker Bobby Wagner (54) reacts after a sack against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the fourth quarter at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports / Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

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Washington Commanders

The Washington Commanders believe linebacker Bobby Wagner will bring the right balance of aggressive and intelligent on-field play and locker room leadership that will help them get this rebuild - though they don't call it that - going in the right direction quickly.

In a day when 34-year old linebackers aren't exactly having their phones ringing off the hook in free agency, Wagner is wanted by the Commanders, and is expected to bring the same value to this team as he has to the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams before it.

Bottom line, Washington didn't sign Wagner to be a motivator alone, it brought him in to help get wins. And as one of the best players in the NFL over 30, he's looking to do the same.

Washington Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner. / Instagram/Washington Commanders

"Talk about never seeming to age—that’s Bobby Wagner who just led the NFL with 183 tackles in his 12th season. He’s had over 100 tackles in every season and was a key member of the vaunted Seattle defense that went to two Super Bowls," wrote Jeff Diamond of 33rd Team, ranking Wagner the No. 12 player in the league over the age of 30. "After being drafted in the 2012 second round by Seattle, he played there 10 years, then spent one season with the Rams before returning to the Seahawks last season. His production has never wavered yet with their coaching change from Pete Carroll to Mike Macdonald, the Seahawks deemed Wagner expendable even after he was selected to the Pro Bowl for the ninth time and gained his tenth All-Pro honor (named to the Second-team in 2023). So he signed with Washington where he’ll surely continue to play at the level we’re accustomed to seeing from this future Hall of Famer. "

In his 12 seasons before this one Wagner has made it to nine Pro Bowls and has been First-Team All-Pro six. He was forced to do the unthinkable at one point and leave the Seahawks, staying in division, and joining the Rams who play in his hometown area of Los Angeles, California.

That was 2022, and some thought he'd lost a step then. But he returned to Seattle in 2023 and put together another Pro Bowl campaign.

Now, he rejoins former Seahawks coaches Dan Quinn and Ken Norton Jr. and is once again looking to prove those who say he's out of gas that they couldn't be more wrong.

Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more FREE coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2024 season.

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Published Jul 15, 2024

DAVID HARRISON

David Harrison has covered the NFL since 2015 as a digital content creator in both written and audio media. He is the host of Locked On Commanders and a graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. His previous career was as a Military Working Dog Handler for the United States Army. Contact David via email at david.w.harrison82@gmail.com or on Twitter @DHarrison82.