Bobby Wagner

Wagner shared a close bond with his mother, Phenia, who died from stroke complications in 2009 during his freshman year of college. In her honor, he established the FAST54 Phenia Mae Fund, partnering with medical institutions to assist stroke patients and expand public stroke education.

Outside of football, Wagner has pursued business management and entrepreneurship. In January 2024, he enrolled in an 18-month online Master of Business Administration program through Howard University. In August 2024, he opened a franchise location of the bakery chain Crumbl Cookies in Renton, Washington, aiming to maintain deep community roots in the Seattle metropolitan area. He expanded his sports business portfolio in July 2025 by joining the ownership group of the WNBA franchise Seattle Storm as a minority owner.

Wagner played high school football at Colony High School in Ontario, California, before accepting a scholarship offer from Utah State University, which was his only collegiate scholarship offer. He became a four-year starter for the Utah State Aggies from 2008 to 2011, amassing 445 career tackles, 4.5 sacks, and four interceptions.

As a senior in 2011, Wagner recorded 147 tackles, four sacks, and two interceptions, earning Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Defensive Player of the Year honors along with his third consecutive First-team All-WAC selection. In January 2012, he participated in the Senior Bowl, recording 22 combined tackles and an interception to earn Senior Bowl Most Valuable Player honors. He was later inducted into the Utah State University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2021.

The Seattle Seahawks selected Wagner in the second round with the 47th overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft. He immediately earned the starting middle linebacker role under head coach Pete Carroll, recording 140 tackles and three interceptions in his debut season to earn PFWA All-Rookie Team honors.

During the 2013 season, Wagner anchored the middle of Seattle's top-ranked scoring defense under defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. He posted 120 combined tackles and five sacks during the regular season. In the postseason, he contributed 15 tackles in the NFC Championship against the San Francisco 49ers and 10 tackles in Super Bowl XLVIII, helping Seattle capture the title with a 43-8 victory over the Denver Broncos. He returned with the team to Super Bowl XLIX the following season after earning his first career Pro Bowl and First-team All-Pro selections.

Wagner established a sustained run of elite production in Seattle, earning First-team All-Pro honors in five consecutive seasons from 2016 through 2020. In 2016, he set the Seahawks single-season franchise record with 167 combined tackles, leading the NFL. On December 2, 2018, he recorded a 98-yard interception return for a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers, setting the franchise record for the longest play in team history.

By the conclusion of his initial ten-season tenure with Seattle, Wagner was selected to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team and became the Seahawks all-time leader in total tackles, solo tackles, and tackles for loss. He signed a three-year extension in 2019 that made him the league's highest-paid middle linebacker at the time, leading the NFL again that season with 159 tackles.

Following his release from Seattle in March 2022, Wagner signed a five-year contract with the Los Angeles Rams. In his lone season with Los Angeles, he started all 17 games, logged 140 tackles and six sacks, and earned Second-team All-Pro recognition. He returned to Seattle on a one-year deal in 2023, leading the league in total tackles for a third time with 183 and winning the Art Rooney Award for sportsmanship.

In March 2024, Wagner joined the Washington Commanders. During the 2024 season, he posted his 13th consecutive year with at least 100 tackles and earned Second-team All-Pro honors while helping lead the Commanders defense. On January 4, 2026, he became only the third player in NFL history, alongside Ray Lewis and London Fletcher, to surpass 2,000 career combined tackles. He concluded the 2025 season by winning the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.