Across a remarkable 14-year NFL career, Bobby Wagner has been the gold standard for linebacker excellence — and on Thursday night, he was honored for his impact off the field as well.
The 10-time Pro Bowler and six-time All-Pro, who has recorded more than 100 tackles in every season of his career, was named the 2025 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year at NFL Honors in San Francisco.
Taking the stage, Wagner joked that he nearly didn’t attend the ceremony. “I almost didn’t even come, to be honest. I’m glad I did,” he said, before reflecting on the inspiration behind his charitable work: his late mother, Phenia Mae Wagner.
Wagner lost his mother to stroke complications years before being drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in 2012. In her honor, he created the FAST54 Phenia Mae Fund in partnership with Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, Cedar Sinai, National Children’s Hospital, and Kaiser Permanente. The fund helps stroke patients while promoting stroke education.
“I cannot be up here and not talk about my mom,” Wagner said. “She is and will ever be my rock. She’s the reason why I’m standing up here…Every time I try to help somebody, every time I see somebody in need, I say, ‘I got you.’ Because we are.”
A Southern California native, Wagner has been a fan favorite in both Seattle — where he spent 11 seasons and won a Super Bowl — and Washington, where he has played the past two seasons. Though he has been nominated for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award four times, Thursday marked his first win.
The NFL’s most esteemed honor for community service, the award recognizes players for outstanding contributions off the field alongside excellence in play. First awarded in 1970 and renamed in honor of Hall of Famer Walter Payton in 1999, the Man of the Year award includes up to a $250,000 donation to the winner’s charity, with each of the 32 club nominees receiving up to $40,000 for their respective organizations. Wagner is the first Washington player to win the honor since Hall of Famer Darrell Green in 1996.
On Thursday, Wagner paid tribute to his mother: “She’s not able to be here, but she lives through me, and everything I do is for her, and I honor her every chance that I get…There’s no way that I can accept this award without saying you are really thanking her. So, thank you guys.”
Bobby Wagner’s career has been defined by excellence on the field, but Thursday’s recognition cements his legacy as a champion in the community as well.
