30 NFL stars who could retire after the 2024 season

3. Bobby Wagner, Washington Commanders

Now this one would be a shock. Bobby Wagner just signed a one-year deal with the Washington Commanders for $6.5 million. He had a very successful return to the Seattle Seahawks, and he’s looking for a legacy builder as he tries to build the final pieces of what he hopes is a Hall of Fame resume. He signed with an interesting team in the Commanders, and it’s also surprising he only signed $6.5 million.

Wagner’s age makes this obvious. He’s 34 years old. Even the star defensive players rarely make it to this age at a high level. He’s the oldest player on the Commanders, claiming a late-June birthday which puts him ahead of Zach Ertz. Wagner might be great and squeeze a little more out of this career, but we’ll see.

It’s much more likely that Wagner fights for his life this season, and it becomes a proof point of signing older defensive players. He wants to prove his worth still, but he’s on a team with upside but no established defensive scheme. It’s a new coach with a very defensive system, but can Wagner compete with Dan Quinn at the expected level?

Wagner has had an amazing career. He had 186 total tackles last season, but that was an outlier. Players whose best asset is tackles can usually be had for cheap. Wagner might not see the money that makes it worth it to keep going.