Champ Bailey is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Trent Williams is well on his way to the Hall of Fame. So is Bobby Wagner. What else do these three players have in common besides playing for the Washington Redskins (Bailey and Williams) or Commanders (Wagner) at one time or another?
ESPN revealed its NFL All Quarter Century team this week, and Bailey, Williams, and Wagner all made the 53-man roster, which includes the greatest players since 2000. Wagner was atop the depth chart at linebacker and Bailey at one cornerback spot, while Williams was behind Hall of Famer Joe Thomas at left tackle.
Here’s a look at the All Quarter Century team:
What if you had to build one NFL team from the last 25 years? 👀@ASchatzNFL and @SethWalder did the work for you. 53 players. Full staff. Practice squad. Meet the All Quarter Century Team 🐐
Full 53-man roster and coaches: https://t.co/HgK8Vcyc6Fpic.twitter.com/s2v0WeXLw4
— ESPN (@espn) June 18, 2025
Washington selected Bailey with the No. 7 overall pick in the 1999 NFL draft. After spending the first five seasons of his career in Washington, Bailey wanted a trade, and he’d spend the next 10 seasons with the Denver Broncos. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019. Bailey has since made peace with the Washington organization since former owner Daniel Snyder sold the team.
Williams was the No. 4 overall selection in the 2010 NFL draft. After nine seasons with the Redskins, Williams missed the 2019 season after a dispute with the team’s then-medical staff. He was traded to the San Francisco 49ers during the 2020 NFL draft, where he has played since. Williams has been to the Pro Bowl 11 times in his career and is a three-time first-team All-Pro selection. He’s still going strong at almost 37 years old.
Finally, there is Wagner. A 2012 second-round pick, Wagner spent the first 10 seasons of his NFL career with the Seattle Seahawks. After one year with the Los Angeles Rams, Wagner returned to the Seahawks, but was released in a salary-cap move and signed with Washington last offseason. Wagner played almost every snap for the Commanders last season, earning another trip to the Pro Bowl and a second-team All-Pro selection. Washington re-signed the soon-to-be-35-year-old Wagner for another year in March.
All three players are deserving. One former Washington player who did not make the list, Adrian Peterson, was a glaring omission. Peterson enjoyed most of his success with the Minnesota Vikings, but did spend two seasons with Washington, rushing for 1,940 yards and 12 touchdowns. Peterson and LaDainian Tomlinson are arguably the greatest running backs of this generation, and neither made this squad.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Wagner, 2 former Washington players make ESPN All Quarter Century team