Bobby Wagner has spent a career shadowing the NFL’s top quarterbacks. But on this day, he’s shadowing the league’s top executive, commissioner Roger Goodell.
As the sun rises over Manhattan, the Washington Commanders linebacker finds himself in a Flatiron District yoga studio heated to over 100 degrees with Goodell, who often does the ancient practice before beginning his workdays running the nation’s most popular league. Led by a class instructor, Goodell and Wagner are put through their poses, focusing on their breathing and breaking a sweat. The private hour-long session was one of several moments the two shared that summer day in 2023, giving Wagner access no other current NFL player has ever had to the head of the league.