Bobby Wagner completed his Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Howard University last week. He will officially graduate in May, as he is also pursuing a career with the NFL’s Washington Commanders. Wagner decided to pursue an education as part of his plan for retirement from the league.

Bobby Wagner completed an MBA to further his career beyond the NFL

As ESPN reported, the Washington Commanders linebacker completed his coursework at Howard University. He started the 18-month program in January 2024 and enrolled in online courses. Yet, Wagner attended some classes in person over the summer so that he could speed up the process. The part-time program is planned at a three-year track, but Wagner completed it in just two years.

“It’s rather impressive that, in addition to his responsibilities on the field and his community service work promoting mentorship and financial literacy, [Wagner] has been adamant about taking care of his academic responsibility at a much faster pace than our typical students,” Mariko Carson, the director of graduate affairs at the Howard University School of Business, said in a January 2025 interview with The Dig. “It’s clear he is driven to do his best and be a winner in everything he takes on.”

In 2012, Wagner earned a bachelor’s degree in business entrepreneurship from Utah State University. He is currently playing for the Washington Commanders, where he is a team captain. 

Wagner decided to pursue a master’s degree in business in order to secure his future after he retires from the NFL. Early on in his career, he received advice to keep pursuing an education beyond sports.

“I was just like, ‘Man, I just got here.’ In my mind, I have 10 plus years,” he said, according to ESPN. “But I had really good mentors that really pushed me to understand that this game could be taken away from you at any given moment.”

“From the outside world, if you do something else, then they feel like you’re not focused,” Wagner added. “And then when you retire and don’t have nothing going on, they’re like, ‘Why you didn’t do something else?’ And so you can’t really listen to what people saying because they’re not you at the end of your career and trying to figure stuff out. I’m trying to break that concept.”

He noted, “You can master the field you’re in and also learn and study other things.”

Bobby Wagner wanted business qualifications beyond his network in the NFL

Although Wagner became a minority investor in the WNBA’s Seattle Storm this past summer, he wanted to ensure people took him seriously in the world of business.

“Sometimes when you come from playing football and go into the business world, a lot of people feel like the reason why you’re able to get into those spaces is because of people that you know and they feel like we skip steps or they feel like we haven’t done the work,” he said. “I’ve done the work through challenging times that most people wouldn’t have done.”

His choice to attend Howard University is also significant, as it puts the spotlight on HBCUs and what they offer.

“He was very intentional about choosing an HBCU and, hopefully, his decision empowers the next generation of players and students in general to see that, if Bobby Wagner believes in HBCUs, they, too can get an education that leads to a successful life at one of these schools,” Carl Francis, the vice president of communications for the NFL Players Association, told The Dig.

Bobby Wagner is busy cementing his legacy on the football field

Wagner is close to achieving a career milestone. He is just 25 tackles away from reaching 2000 tackles in his career. If he completes this achievement, he would become the third NFL player to achieve such a feat after former linebackers Ray Lewis and London Fletcher.

“It’s more about making players I began my career with proud,” Wagner said about the milestone, according to The Grio.

“It’s been a challenging season, but I enjoy playing,” he added. “I enjoy being around these guys, and they make it fun.”