Linebacker Sonny Styles is a physical beast. He can run fast, pressure quarterbacks, and stop the run. After the first round of the 2026 NFL draft, the Ohio State product is now a member of the Washington Commanders. That means former Seattle Seahawks icon Bobby Wagner won't be.
Wagner has spent the last couple of seasons with Washington after Seattle didn't bring Wagner back for the second time. He also played a season with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022 after the Seahawks released the icon due to salary constraints. Wagner returned again in 2023, but then was forced to leave again.
Now, he simply might not have a home anywhere. The issue is that he isn't good at pass coverage, and plays a devalued position in the NFL. He is also going to be 36 years old by the time Week 1 of next season rolls around. That is far too old for some teams.
The Commanders taking Sonny Styles might push Seattle Seahawks icon Bobby Wagner into retirement
The future Pro Football Hall of Famer is definitely not going to return to the Seahawks again, unless it happens to be on a one-day contract where he retires as a member of the organization. Head coach Mike Macdonald requires his inside linebackers to cover running backs and tight ends well, and that has always been a weakness for Wagner.
The LB also isn't returning to the Commanders, or he likely already would have. Washington's defense was atrocious in 2025, even with Bobby Wagner and his excellence against the run. What was clear was that he had lost a step and couldn't run sideline to sideline nearly as well as he once did.
He might have still done so better than a lot of other off-ball linebackers ever could, but the NFL is all about getting younger and cheaper, and Wagner is definitely not the former and is more expensive than many of the options at the latter.
He deserves a better ending if he doesn't find another team to play for. Maybe teams will wait until the 2026 NFL draft is over and look at the available free agents, and someone will scoop up Wagner. Let's hope that team is capable of making a playoff push, however.
Bobby Wagner simply playing in the NFL to keep playing football wouldn't feel right for many Seahawks fans. He needs to go out a winner, or close to it. Heck, maybe he even gets hired to join Mike Macdonald's staff and helps mold young Seattle players into future champions.
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