When the Washington Commanders signed linebacker Frankie Luvu to a three-year, $36 million contract in March 2024, they made one of the league’s most shrewd off-season acquisitions.
After playing for the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers for his first six seasons of the NFL, 27-year-old Luvu received his first major salary and the Commanders acquired one of the league’s most underappreciated linebackers.
Ben Standig of The Athletic named Luvu as another player who the Commanders could turn to in 2024 as their “Non-QB MVP.”
Standig stated, “Luvu comes with the versatility required to play various spots, making him one of the Commanders’ key free-agent signings this offseason.” Luvu, who is 27 years old, is a developing player who just had two consecutive seasons with 100 tackles and 12.5 total sacks. Every down, he will play, and the coaches will rotate the defensive line based on where they want to use this aggressive playmaker.
After giving up an absurd 388.9 yards of offense per game in 2023 and placing last in the NFL in overall defense, the Commanders are in desperate need of assistance.
A standout on the NFL’s worst teams, Luvu
Luvu’s journey to NFL fame and wealth was remarkably difficult; in 2018, as an undrafted free agent out of Washington State, he joined the Jets. Luvu only made four starts at linebacker in his three seasons as a member of the Jets’ special teams squad.
Before the 2022 season, Luvu earned a 2-year, $9 million contract extension with the Panthers, having first signed a 1-year, $1.1 million free-agent deal in 2021. He has demonstrated in the last two years that he is a talented NFL linebacker. 2022 saw him start 14 games and finish with 111 tackles, 7.0 sacks, and 1 interception returned for a score. In 2023, he added 125 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and5 deflections of passes in 2023.Is there anything Luvu has never done? being a part of a winning squad. The clubs Luvu has played for throughout his first six NFL seasons had a combined record of 27-72, with none of them finishing above.500.
Luvu Pairing In D.C. with a Future Hall of Famer.
Along with the chance to make a ton of money in Washington, Luvu also gets to play alongside one of the most prestigious linebackers in the NFL from the past few decades—Bobby Wagner—who the Commanders signed to a one-year, $8.5 million contract in the offseason. Wagner is a future Hall of Famer.
Wagner and Luvu combine to form one of the NFL’s most exciting linebacker tandems in
