‘Slap in the Face’ as Commanders $118 Million All-Pro LB Left Off ESPN Rankings

For Washington Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner, getting the respect he deserves has not always been easy to come by. It’s not getting easier with age.

Even in the twilight of his career, where he’s still performing at a high level, Wagner is still in the middle of the fight when it comes to being recognized as one of the NFL’s elite at his position.

ESPN’s annual Top 10 rankings of off ball linebackers failed to include Wagner after his 11th consecutive NFL All-Pro selection in 2024, placing him on its list of honorable mention picks.

While the slap in the face to Wagner’s production and overall body of work was profound, fellow All-Pro and teammate Frankie Luvu made his debut on the list at No. 5, while San Francisco 49ers linebacker and 4-time NFL All-Pro Fred Warner was No. 1 for the second consecutive year.

“Still great at getting jump on a play, doing everything you want out of a LB, smart, instincts, knows what everybody is doing,” one anonymous NFL personnel evaluator told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. “Pass coverage is where you see a little bit of a dip, which is to be expected at this stage.”

Wagner, 35 years old, is headed into his 14th NFL season and led the Commanders with 132 tackles on a 1-year, $6.5 million contract in 2024. He re-signed with the team on a 1-year, $9 million contract on March 6.

Wagner Lock As First Ballot Pro Football HOFer

According to Pro Football Reference’s Hall of Fame Monitor (HOFm), Wagner is not only a lock to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility — whenever that is — but has put together one of the best HOF cases in NFL history at his position.

Wagner’s current HOFm number sits at 112.88, which will only go up in another season playing on a legitimate Super Bowl contender in Washington.

The average number for an inside linebacker making the Hall of Fame is 106.0 and of players not in the Hall of Fame, only former Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly is higher at 119.45.

Kuechly only played 8 seasons before he retired following the 2019 season and wasn’t elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2025.

One Of NFL’s Greatest Value Draft Picks, Ever

Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon picked out the 25 greatest picks from the last 25 years — excluding Top 10 picks — and put Washington Commanders linebacker and future Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner toward the top of the list.

Wagner was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round (No. 47 overall) out of Utah State in the 2012 NFL draft and helped lead Seattle to its first Super Bowl win following the 2013 season.

He’s now an 11-time NFL All-Pro, 10-time Pro Bowler and will have approximately $118.5 million in career earnings following the 2025 season.

“An integral part of the Seahawks throughout the Russell Wilson/Pete Carroll era, Wagner is a six-time first-team All-Pro with longevity to boot,” Gagnon wrote. “Yet he was only the second-best pick in one of the greatest team draft classes in NFL history.”

The best pick? That would be Seattle’s third round pick — 10-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson.