When the Washington Commanders take on the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 18, it will mark the end of an era for several players wearing burgundy and gold. One of them stands out above the rest.
Adam Peters' veteran-heavy approach upon taking over as general manager helped propel the Commanders to the NFC Championship game during his first season at the helm. It's backfired immensely in Year 2, but his task was accomplished. The culture was changed.
On the field, no player has been more responsible for this shift than Bobby Wagner. He deserves a proper salute for his efforts.
Bobby Wagner gave the Commanders his all at the tail end of a remarkable career
If Wagner is still playing in the NFL at all in 2026, it almost certainly won't be in Washington. His job here is done. The Commanders need to get younger, and his strengths as a leader have become outweighed by his limitations on the field.
Still, that doesn't diminish everything Wagner brought to this franchise.
The Super Bowl-winning linebacker spent 11 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks and another with the Los Angeles Rams, making nine Pro Bowl appearances in that span and six All-Pro first teams. Before even taking a snap for the Commanders, he was a future Pro Football Hall of Famer, case closed.
Wagner never had to come to Washington. He had nothing left to prove. He could have hung up his cleats after the 2023 season, his homecoming to Seattle after spending the prior campaign with the Rams, and he'd have been a surefire bet to be enshrined in Canton exactly five years later.
However, he saw an opportunity to reunite with his former defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn, to help turn around a beleaguered organization in need of a spark.
In 2024, Wagner lived up to his billing and then some. He added one more Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro nod to his long list of accolades, all while the Commanders went from four wins to 12. In Washington's wild-card playoff game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he recovered the game-changing fumble that led this franchise to its first postseason victory since 2006.
Even while Wagner's play has declined in 2025, his role has been invaluable. His mentorship over young linebacker Jordan Magee has helped the 2024 fifth-round pick blossom into someone who should be a full-time starter in 2026. That's also precisely why the legend's services are no longer required.
Wagner will suit up one final time for Washington at Lincoln Financial Field, and it will be an opportunity to reflect on a chapter of his career that can be best described as a bonus round.
He didn't need the Commanders, but he came anyway. Throughout his two years in D.C., Wagner was a shining example of a high-character player from the moment he got into the building.
Thank you, Bobby.