Report: Ex-Seattle Seahawks great re-signing with Commanders

Six-time All-Pro and former longtime Seattle Seahawks star linebacker Bobby Wagner is returning to the Washington Commanders after being a big part of their franchise-best turnaround and a trip to the NFC championship game in quarterback Jayden Daniels’ rookie season.

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Wagner agreed on a contract for next season, according to a person with knowledge of the move. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because the deal had not yet been announced.

Set to turn 35 this summer, Wagner led the Commanders with 132 tackles during the regular season and was named to his 10th Pro Bowl. He made 25 more tackles during their playoff run as the centerpiece of a much-improved defense.

The well-respected veteran keyed a unit that went from last in the league before he and several newcomers arrived to finish 13th under first-year coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr.

“He’s a coach on the field,” Whitt said of Wagner in January. “He’s the ultimate leader. For him to be the Bobby Wagner, he’s a humble man. He listens. He takes coaching. … He takes the younger guys, he brings them (in and is) a mentor. I can tell him and talk to him within the game and he could take what I’m saying and communicate it really well to the players.”

Financial terms were not immediately available, though reports indicated the deal was for $8 million guaranteed and could be worth up to $9.5 million. That’s a raise from the $6 million guaranteed he signed for a year ago when new general manager Adam Peters was remaking the roster.

Wagner, who won the Super Bowl with Seattle in the 2013 season when Quinn ran the defense, developed a strong bond with Daniels, the Offensive Rookie of the Year and face of the franchise.

“Obviously, I knew of him, but didn’t know him personally,” Daniels said. “But ever since I got here we kind of just hit it off and he’s like a big brother to me and everything — always giving game, taking care of us.”

Wagner, a 2012 second-round draft pick, spent the first decade of his career as a key cog in the middle of the Seahawks’ famed Legion of Boom defense. He went to back-to-back Super Bowls with Seattle and helped anchor a dominant unit that led the league in scoring defense for four straight seasons from 2012 through 2015.

Wagner spent the 2022 season with the Los Angeles Rams, returned to Seattle for a one-year stint in 2023 and then spent the 2024 campaign in Washington.

Seattle Sports staff made minor additions to this post.

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