Report: Bobby Wagner signing with Washington Commanders on one-year deal

Free agent linebacker Bobby Wagner has signed with the Washington Commanders, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. It is reportedly a one-year deal worth $8.5 million.

Wagner is set to enter his 12th NFL season, 11 of which have been with the Seattle Seahawks. He also spent one year with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022.

Wagner returned to Seattle last season after his brief stint with the Rams and started 16 of 17 games to lead the NFL with 183 total tackles. He also had 11 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and a fumble recovery as he was named to the Pro Bowl.

Bobby Wagner will reunite with Commanders coach Dan Quinn, who was his defensive coordinator at Seattle from 2013-14. The pair won a Super Bowl together and will hope to once again find success in Washington.

The veteran linebacker and nine-time Pro Bowler should immediately step into a key role on the Commanders defense. Washington could certainly use all the help it can get on that side of the ball after ranking last in the NFL in scoring defense this past season.

Wagner was a second-round draft pick out of Utah State in 2012. He immediately stepped into a starting role that season and finished second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. His arguably his best season yet came under Quinn in 2014, when he recorded 104 tackles (10 for loss) and two sacks in just 11 games to finish sixth in the MVP voting.

The Commanders are coming off of a 4-13 finish this past season and will hope for better results under Quinn in 2024. With Wagner now in the fold, they’ve certainly added a piece to do so.

More on the 2024 NFL offseason, free agency

The NFL 2024 calendar year begins at 4 p.m. ET on March 13. At that time, contracts running through 2023 officially run out, making those players free agents. Prior to the beginning of free agency, teams will have a chance to designate one franchise or transition tag player, starting on Feb. 20 at 4 p.m. ET and ending on March 5. Beginning March 11 through March 13 teams can enter into a legal negotiation with players who are set to become unrestricted free agents.

In addition to NFL free agency, the new year also marks the beginning of all trades being made official by the league office. April 19 marks the deadline to sign restricted free agents to offer sheets. On April 24, the deadline for teams to match restricted free agent offers sheets hits. Following the restricted free agent deadline comes the 2024 NFL Draft, which runs from April 25-27.

More on restricted, exclusive rights free agents

Players with only three years of accredited NFL experience become restricted free agents. Their original team will have the option to apply first-round, second-round, original-round, and right-of-fight-of-first-refusal tenders on players at escalating price tags.

The higher the round, the more expensive the tender amount; however, if a separate team does offer a contract and the original team does not match, that round’s pick will be conveyed from the new team to the original team. Right of first refusal only gives a team the option to match or not. If they don’t match, they get nothing in return.

An original-round tender would send a draft pick from whatever round the player was drafted back to the original team if they chose not to match. The original team will have five days to match once a player signs an offer sheet from a new team.