The Washington Commanders are headed to the NFC Championship game for the first time since 1991, and they're taking a few former Seattle Seahawks stars with them.
Washington (12-5) pulled off an upset victory on the road over the 15-2 Detroit Lions on Saturday, punching their ticket to being one win from the Super Bowl. The Commanders won three Super Bowls from 1982-91 but haven't been beyond the Divisional Round since.
Three former Seahawks are with the current Commanders, beginning with head coach Dan Quinn. His first stint with Seattle was from 2009-10 as an assistant head coach and defensive line coach.
He returned to the Seahawks in 2013-14 as the team's defensive coordinator and was key in establishing the Legion of Boom defense. Seattle won Super Bowl XLVIII that season, the first in franchise history.
During his second Seattle tenure, Quinn coached linebacker Bobby Wagner, who was drafted in 2012. Wagner is also on the current Commanders roster, his third team in three years after a decade-long stint with Seattle — where he built his first-ballot Hall of Fame career and was part of the legendary defense that led the team.
Quinn went on to become the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 2015-20 and led the team to a Super Bowl appearance in 2016. Atlanta lost after surrendering a 28-3 lead, the largest in Super Bowl history. After going 43-42 in his six seasons as the team's head coach, Quinn was fired before the 2021 season.
Following three seasons as the Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator, Quinn's name began popping up in head coaching conversations once again. The Commanders hired him, and he's now turned the franchise around in his first season.
Wagner has had an up-and-down past three years, but is still on a streak of 11 straight AP All-Pro selections. He was a second-team selection this season, totaling 132 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, two sacks and four pass deflections.
Wagner was originally released by the Seahawks in 2021 and landed with the Los Angeles Rams. He signed a five-year contract with Los Angeles but was cut as a cap casualty at the end of the season. He returned to Seattle for one season in 2023, but was not retained by the new coaching staff.
He reunited with Quinn in Washington, and the pair have now made a splash with the Commanders.
Former Seahawks fullback, special teamer and backup linebacker Nick Bellore is also on the Commanders. Bellore was with the Seahawks from 2019-23 before being released ahead of this season. He's appeared in 16 games for Washington this season and has 21 tackles and a tackle for loss.
Washington will face the winner of the Rams (10-7) and Philadelphia Eagles (14-3) game at 12 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 26 for a chance to move on to the Super Bowl.
