When Bobby Wagner was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks, his first playoff win came against the team currently known as the Washington Commanders. As he enters his 14th season of his Hall of Fame career, the legendary linebacker is lining up for another season with the upstart Commanders.
While made official by the team on Friday, it was reported on Thursday that Wagner agreed to a new one-year contract worth up to $9.5 million. He’s already got $8 million guaranteed coming his way, per The Athletic.
After a one-year reunion with the Seahawks in 2023, Wagner joined his current head coach and former Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn in Washington on a deal worth $8.5 million with $6 million in guarantees. While the Commanders defense as a whole wasn’t great, Wagner was selected to All-Pro Second-Team for a fourth consecutive season and recorded a team-leading 132 tackles, including two sacks and 10 tackles for loss.
The 34-year-old Wagner is not exclusively the story here. There have been several other high-profile linebackers who’ve inked new contracts in recent days. Just take a look at some of the values from Wagner all the way to newly crowned Super Bowl champion Zack Baun.
Zack Baun: $17.5M APY
Terrel Bernard: $12.5M APY
Derrick Barnes: $8.5M APY
Bobby Wagner: $8M APY
Feels like linebackers are about to get paid. Very interested to see what Sherwood, Spillane, and Greenlaw get
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) March 7, 2025
Baun was a Defensive Player of the Year contender, whereas Bernard is one of the key pieces on the Buffalo Bills defense. Derrick Barnes is coming off a serious knee injury and barely played last season, but he’s on the rise as a quality linebacker. Only Wagner is the aging vet among this group, whereas Bernard was the only impending UFA.
It’s all relevant data when you consider the Seahawks have not yet re-signed Ernest Jones IV, one of the top linebackers set to hit the market. When PFF made its contract projections, they undercooked it with Baun and Wagner by a few million each, respectively. Their contract projection for Jones is in the $12 million/year range, which is a little over $3 million/year more than Jordyn Brooks’ deal with the Miami Dolphins. Just something to keep an eye on in terms of Jones’ market and what the Seahawks are willing to pay.
As for Wagner, the NFC Championship finalist Commanders host the Seahawks in the 2025 regular season, so we’ll get to see Seattle play against him one more time.