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John Keim, ESPN writer
He Washington Commanders continues to deliver the NFL’s worst statistical defense, adding eight-time Pro Bowl linebacker Bobby Wagner on Wednesday, a source confirmed to ESPN.
Wagner becomes the sixth defensive player Washington has landed since Monday, hoping to bolster a group that ranked last in both points and yards allowed last season.
Wagner agreed to a one-year contract worth up to $8.5 million with $6 million in guarantees, according to NFL Network, which first reported the news.
Washington has also added three defensive ends: Dorance Armstrong, Dante Fowler Jr.. and Clelin Ferrell — more linebacker Frankie Luvu and security Jeremy Chinn.
Washington coaches are familiar with Wagner: Head coach Dan Quinn coached him for two years in Seattle as a coordinator, and linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. was Wagner’s coordinator for four seasons with the Seahawks.
Wagner, one of the most decorated inside linebackers of the last decade and a future Hall of Famer, played in every game last season for the Seattle Seahawks and recorded an NFL-high 183 tackles, also setting a career-high.
Wagner, 33, added 3.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, 6 QB hits and 3 passes defended while playing in each game.
In January, Wagner said he “100%” planned to continue playing in 2024, which will be his 13th NFL season.
Wagner, a 2012 second-round pick by Seattle out of Utah State, was in charge of the middle of the “Legion of Boom” defense that led the Seahawks to a victory in Super Bowl XLVIII and a near repeat in the Super Bowl XLIX. He spent his first 10 seasons with Seattle, making eight consecutive Pro Bowls in that span and being 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, with whom they mutually parted ways after the season. He returned to Seattle on a one-year contract that had a base value of $5.5 million, although Wagner earned an additional $750,000 by making the Pro Bowl, his 11th career selection, on the initial ballot.
Wagner has served as his own agent for several years and has negotiated his last three contracts, including a three-year, $54 million extension in 2019 that made him the highest-paid inside linebacker in the NFL.
He has surpassed 100 tackles in each of his first 12 NFL seasons, recording 1,706 in total. He has 33 sacks, 13 interceptions, 6 forced fumbles, 10 fumble recoveries and 89 tackles for loss in 185 regular season games.
ESPN’s Brady Henderson contributed to this report.
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