The Washington Commanders added eight-time Pro Bowl linebacker Bobby Wagner on Wednesday, continuing to overturn the worst statistical defense in NFL history, officials confirmed to ESPN.
Wagner is the sixth defensive player Washington has played since Monday, hoping to strengthen a group that ranked last in both points and yards allowed last season.
According to NFL Network, which first reported the news, Wagner has agreed to a one-year deal worth up to $8.5 million with $6 million guaranteed.
Washington also added three defensive ends in Dorrance Armstrong, Dante Fowler Jr. and Clelin Ferrell, as well as linebacker Frankie Lube and safety Jeremy Chinn.
Washington's coaching staff is familiar with Wagner, with head coach Dan Quinn coaching him for two years as coordinator in Seattle and linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. coordinating Wagner for four seasons with the Seahawks. Served.
Wagner, one of the most decorated inside linebackers of the past decade and a future Hall of Famer, played every game for the Seattle Seahawks last season and had an NFL-high 183 tackles, a career best. Also updated.
Wagner, 33, played in every game and recorded 3.5 sacks, 11 tackles, six QB hits and three passes defensed.
Wagner said in January that he “100 percent” plans to continue playing in 2024, his 13th NFL season.
Wagner, a second-round pick by Seattle out of Utah State in 2012, was the centerpiece of the “Legion of Boom” defense that led the Seahawks to victory in Super Bowl XLVIII and nearly repeated it in Super Bowl XLIX. Contributed. He spent his first 10 seasons in Seattle, during which he appeared in eight consecutive Pro Bowls and was named first-team All-Pro six times.
He is the Seahawks' all-time leading tackler.
After being released by the Seahawks, Wagner spent the 2022 season with the Los Angeles Rams and parted ways after the season. He returned to Seattle on a one-year deal with a base value of $5.5 million, but Wagner earned an additional $750,000 on the first ballot for his 11th career Pro Bowl selection.
Wagner has been his own agent for several years and has negotiated three previous contracts, including a three-year, $54 million contract extension in 2019 that made him the highest-paid inside linebacker in the NFL. .
He topped 100 tackles in each of his first 12 NFL seasons, totaling 1,706 tackles. He had 33 sacks, 13 interceptions, six forced fumbles, 10 fumble recoveries and 89 tackles for loss in 185 regular season games.
ESPN's Brady Henderson contributed to this report.