Bobby Wagner stealing lessons from Seahawks and applying them to Commanders

Bobby Wagner got some tough love as a rookie with the Seattle Seahawks in 2012. That did not make him a lesser human being, but his experiences did make him a better player. More importantly, they made him a better leader.

Wagner joined a Seattle team that was poised to be great. A year after he was drafted, Seattle won the Super Bowl. The next year, the team went back to the Super Bowl. Over Wagner's first nine years in the NFL, his Seahawks' teams missed the postseason just once.

Would he not have become a future Pro Football Hall of Famer had he not been drafted by a team that already had Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, and Richard Sherman? Maybe. He had the physical skills to be great, of course, but he might not have learned how to be a leader without those three.

Bobby Wagner bringing a lot of the Seahawks to the Commanders

For the second time in his career, Wagner will be starting a season when he isn't wearing a Seattle uniform. In 2022, after the Seahawks had released him, Wagner signed with the Los Angeles Rams and eventually was once again named as a Second-Team All-Pro. After the Rams released him before the 2023 season, Seattle re-signed him. Last year with Seattle, Wagner was once again a Second-Team All-Pro.

Wagner was only signed for one season, however, and Wagner signed this offseason with the Washington Commanders. Washington has made the playoffs once since 2016. They need the leadership that Wagner will bring. But what he brings will be part of the Seahawks tradition he learned as a rookie.

Seahawks general manager John Schneider recently told The Athletic (subscription required) that while Wagner will be missed in Seattle, the Commanders are getting a player that should make them better. Schneider said, "Bobby wasn’t like a yeller, a screamer, but super confident...He’s never changed his approach or attitude. He’s going to be the same person every day."

Wagner's new teammates are just as impressed with the linebacker. Defensive tackle Jonathan Allen said, "He just brings a winning presence, a winning culture, the way he works every day. When you see a guy like that, in Year 13, first-ballot Hall of Famer, work as hard as he does, there’s really no excuse for anybody else."

The truth is that Bobby Wagner is one of those rare players, and Seahawks fans likely still want him to do well no matter where he plays. He will always be a Seahawk, even if he is wearing a Commanders' uniform. When Wagner goes into the Hall of Fame, he will do so as a member of the Seahawks, at least that is how most 12s probably feel.

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