For as long as this writer can remember, thirty has been seen as a sort of benchmark for an NFL player being “over the hill”. Thirty has traditionally been where age starts to catch up to players and we start to see them decline in their performance and “lose a step”. However, in recent years, a number of players have shown that it might be time to start re-thinking when players are “old” in the modern NFL.
While thirty may not be the new twenty, more and more players are playing – and playing well – well into their thirties. So much so that we now have outlets like 33rd Team dropping lists of their top 20 players over 30. One perhaps surprising inclusion on the list, chosen by former NFL GM Jeff Diamond, is new Washington Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner.
Wagner rose to prominence early in his career as a member of the legendary “Legion of Boom” defense with the Seattle Seahawks. Wagner played an integral role in the Seahawks defense becoming the first team since the Cleveland Browns of the 50s to lead the NFL in scoring defense for four straight seasons. For his efforts in the Legion of Boom, Wagner finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2012, and was named to two All-Pro teams and made two Pro Bowls.
After the Legion of Boom’s reign is when Wagner really shined in the Seahawks defense. From 2016 to 2021, Wagner made six straight All-Pro teams (five First-Team honors and one second-team), along with being named to the Pro Bowl in every season and finishing fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2017.
The past few seasons have shown a clear decline in Wagner's play, but he’s still been one of the more solid linebackers in the league, making the second-team All Pro in each of the last two seasons and returning to the Pro Bowl last season after a one-year absence. The Commanders may not be getting the Wagner of old, the Wagner who was one of the most feared linebackers to put on a uniform, but they’re still getting a solid player who can be a boon to their defense.
