News broke Sunday that a 9-time Pro Bowler and 6-time All-Pro linebacker is not returning to his team.
Bobby Wagner is reportedly going to test the free agent market, not returning to his longtime NFL home, the Seattle Seahawks. Wagner played one season with the Rams, and his other 11 NFL seasons were spent in Seattle.
All-Pro and Pro Bowl LB Bobby Wagner is expected to test the market, and it’s currently viewed as unlikely that he returns to the #Seahawks, source said. Coming off a career-high 183 tackles, Wagner joins a talented off-the-ball LB group in free agency.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 10, 2024
Wagner is now an age-33 linebacker. Consequently, this Washington ownership group would wisely not invest in a long-term deal with a veteran such as Wagner. However, one can imagine the Commanders pursuing Wagner for a short-term reunion.
That is, a reunion with new Commanders head coach Dan Quinn and new linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. Wagner played for Quinn while Quinn served as the Seahawks defensive coordinator in the 2013 and 2014 seasons.
Norton coached the linebackers during the 2010-2014 seasons. Following his three seasons as the Raiders defensive coordinator, Norton returned to the Seahawks as their defensive coordinator for the 2018-2021 seasons, all of which saw Wagner earn Pro Bowl honors with Seattle.
It is no secret the Commanders have been weak at linebacker and signing Wagner for the short-term could provide the defense leadership and also a younger, drafted linebacker a mentor as well.
Should the Commanders choose to pursue a younger linebacker, such as the Ravens’ Patrick Queen, they would attempt to sign him on a longer-term deal, seeing that Queen will only turn 25 in August.