2024 was an incredible year for the Washington Commanders, who made the NFC Championship game for the first time since their Super Bowl-winning 1991 season. Hoping to go one step further in 2025, the Commanders have tied down 11-time All-Pro LB Bobby Wagner to another one-year deal.
Bobby Wagner to Run it Back with Washington Commanders
A leader on the field, Wagner has been selected for the Pro Bowl in all but three of his 13 NFL seasons to date. Signing a one-year deal with the Commanders in 2024 would have been seen as a step back from his time with the Seattle Seahawks, but that wasn’t to be the case.
New head coach Dan Quinn brought in several veterans during his first free agency with the team. Former Philadelphia Eagle Zach Ertz and former Dallas Cowboys Dorance Armstrong Jr. and Tyler Biadasz joined Wagner in the nation’s capital.
Wagner started all 20 games that the team went on to play in 2024, as rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels led the unlikely outfit to within a game of the Super Bowl. With retirement appearing larger on the horizon for the 2013 Super Bowl winner, it speaks to the respect that the player and the team have for one another, that the two parties agreed to run it back in 2025.
Commanders re-sign LB Bobby Wagner to 1-year deal worth up to $9.5M. (via @Rapsheet, @MikeGarafolo) pic.twitter.com/kUiwOb73tt
— NFL (@NFL)
Perhaps surprisingly, depending on which way you look at it, reported figures of $9.5 million, with $8 million guaranteed, represent a significant pay rise for Wagner. The 34-year-old’s 2024 contract was for just $6.5 million, with only $6.06 million guaranteed.
The #Commanders are re-signing standout LB Bobby Wagner, as the leader and playmaker is back with Washington, per me and @MikeGarafolo.
A key piece, Wagner and the team agreed on a strong 1-year deal worth up to $9.5M with $8M guaranteed. Wagner represented himself on the deal. pic.twitter.com/Z3fT4ZeCZf
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet)
Jayden Daniels Reacts to Wagner Signing
Wagner’s new contract appears to have gone down well in Washington. Daniels, the 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year, was among those who publicly celebrated the deal.
Posting to his social media, Daniels screenshotted the announcement and made his feelings clear.
Jayden Daniels fired up Bobby Wagner is back. Maybe we finally see that 1v1 hoops game pic.twitter.com/vFwt6L1PLS
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS)
News of Wagner’s re-signing comes just days after it was announced that the Commanders were trading for former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel. Samuel’s reliability in the passing game came into question in 2024 as the former Pro-Bowler’s efficiency dipped.
The list of injuries that Samuel played through in 2024, though, not to mention a mid-season bout of pneumonia, suggests that those concerns were unfair. A dynamic option in both the passing and running game, Samuel offers the Commanders yet another offensive layer in 2025.
Trusting older players to make a difference when it matters most worked wonders for the organization in Campbell’s first season. While many teams are seemingly conscious of aging veterans, Washington will hope their own formula continues to serve them as well in the future as it did in 2024.
