Fox Sports' Emmanuel Acho had his chance, and he blew it. He likely won't often comment on social media about linebacker Fred Warner signing an extension with the San Francisco 49ers. He did once, and he managed to slight a Seattle Seahawks legend.
Acho played linebacker in the NFL briefly, so he knows the position. What he lacked for a minute was a common-sense comparison for Warner. San Francisco's LB is a four-time First-Team All-Pro and signed an extension this week that will pay him for three more years with a total of $63 million, of which $56 million is guaranteed.
Warner deserves the deal. He is a great linebacker. He might be the best linebacker in the league since Bobby Wagner was taken in the 2012 draft. Warner's real comparison is Wagner. Acho absentmindedly tweeted that Warner is the best linebacker since Luke Kuechly, who played with the Carolina Panthers.
Former Seahawks Pro Bowler Quandre Diggs firmly has Bobby Wagner's back in recent slight
Kuechly was a great player, and his career was cut too short because of an injury. But he wasn't as good as Bobby Wagner. The former Seahawks player has been named First-Team All-Pro six times, and has been named Second-Team All-Pro five times. He has been named to those All-Star teams every season since 2014.
Wagner even received an MVP vote in 2014. He is a legend, and there is no debating that.
Former Seahawks Pro Bowler Quandre Diggs was having none of what Acho was trying to sell. Diggs is not afraid to speak his mind on social media and is usually correct. He also rightfully pointed out why Warner's better comp is Wagner, not Kuechly.
Diggs tweeted a direct response to Acho saying, "Woah Woah Fred my brother but don’t ever discredit Bobby Wagner like that who Fred looked up to and emulated his game!"
Woah Woah Fred my brother but don’t ever discredit Bobby Wagner like that who Fred looked up to and emulated his game! https://t.co/Z8LQ0Bx4Cp
— Nino (@qdiggs6) May 19, 2025
The critical point is that Warner patterned his game after Wagner, not Kuechly. Acho should have known this before randomly mentioning the former Panthers linebacker over the former Seahawks LB.
But 12s are likely used to being dissed by the national media. That is how it feels when even a former player is disrespected. The truth is that while Wagner currently plays for the Washington Commanders and spent a season with the Los Angeles Rams, he will always be a part of the Seahawks. That includes when he enters the Pro Football Hall of Fame five years after he retires.