Since arriving in Seattle last fall in a midseason trade, Ernest Jones IV has established himself as a leader of the Seahawks defense and as one of the best inside linebackers in the league.

And while Jones' physical gifts, intelligence, instincts and work ethic are big factors in his success, he acknowledges that another less obvious factor in standout play since joining the Seahawks is the one season he spent playing alongside an all-time great in Los Angeles.

In 2022, Jones' second season in the NFL, the Rams signed veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner, who had spent the previous 10 seasons building a Hall of Fame resume in Seattle. Both players have since left L.A., with Jones getting traded first to Tennessee last year, then to Seattle midway through the season, and with Wagner signing back with Seattle in 2023, then with the Commanders last year. But that one year they spent together made a lasting impact on Jones.

"I think I'm finding out what he meant to me more now than I realized back then," Jones said. "The first couple of years, I was definitely trying to learn, but I was stuck in my way, had a way of doing things. He was teaching me, but I feel like the things he taught me, I'm applying now as I'm getting older."

Here, the 25-year-old Jones catches himself, clarifying, "Well, older in football terms. As I'm getting older, football wise, just how to take care of the body, mentally how to be sharp, and those things are applying now, and I'm playing not bad right now."

When the Seahawks and Commanders face off on Sunday night, the focus for both teams will obviously be on trying to earn a victory, but for Seahawks players who were around when Wagner was in Seattle, or for fans who watched Wagner play in the middle of some all-time great defenses, there will also be an acknowledgement of a Hall of Fame player still getting the job done in his 14th NFL season.

Wagner, a six-time first-team All-Pro as a Seahawk, has been named first or second-team All-Pro in each of the last 11 seasons, and earned Pro-Bowl honors in 10 of those seasons. This season, he is well on his way to a 14th consecutive 100-tackle season with 83 tackles, the second most in the league, as well as 2.0 sacks, five tackles for loss, an interception and a forced fumble. And as has been the case throughout his career, the 35-year-old Wagner is still an every-down player despite playing one of the sport's most physical positions.

"I'm in awe of him being able to do that," Jones said. "This game is physical; this position is physical. I know how hard I attack each and every game, and I know he's the same way. So 14 years of that on your body and you're still out balling, that's testament to him and the work he's put in."

For his part, Wagner, who played against Seattle twice in 2022, said there are no added emotions facing the Seahawks, but there is still plenty of love for the organization.

"I've got a lot of love for Seattle, they know that," Wagner, who earlier this year was named one of the top 50 players in franchise history, told reporters in Washington on Thursday. "My teammates that were there, they know the love is there. I'm just trying to get a win."

Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald has never coached Wagner, though the Ravens did have Wagner in for a free-agent visit before he signed with the Rams in 2022, and like Jones, Macdonald is impressed with Wagner's longevity and consistency.

"You're speaking to his resume, which is probably rivaled by maybe a couple other people in the history of the game," Macdonald said. "It's probably as big of a compliment as I can give him. To me, it's his meticulous attention to detail, maniacal way to prepare for games, it takes a lot. It's a toll on your body. It's probably the most impressive thing, honestly. His mind is obviously as sharp as ever, but to be able to still play all those plays is really impressive."

As for that free agent visit that did not result in a signing, Macdonald recalled, "There's a kind of gravitas to him, it's Bobby Wagner, and he's coming in for a visit. I was a first-year coordinator, so I didn't do a lot of talking, I just let him talk. It's what you expected in terms of just the person and the poise, and we were excited for the opportunity. Obviously, he decided to go, I think it was going to be a big move going to the East Coast. Or at least you thought that at the time, maybe not a few years later when he goes to Washington. It was a great visit; we've got a ton of respect for him. I was hoping it was going to work out."

Receiver Cooper Kupp, who was also teammates with Wagner on the 2022 Rams, came away from that experience impressed with Wagner's leadership.

"I learned he's a tremendous leader," Kupp said. "I learned that the tremendous leaders don't have to be the ones that are always up in front talking. I thought he did a great job of finding the balance of modeling what it's supposed to look like with his process. He's obviously playing at a high level for a long time now. But modeling his processing and then also being able to find the time to share a word when it's on his heart that something needs to be said and not shying away from that. You could tell he was a special football player and a special human being."