After having one of his best NFL seasons in 2023 with the Carolina Panthers, linebacker Frankie Luvu was rewarded in free agency with a three-year, $36 million deal to join the Washington Commanders last month.
Since the signing, the linebacker has been the subject of praise from both old friends and new teammates for his energy and recent surge in production.
One Commanders teammate, safety Jeremy Chinn, is especially familiar with the linebacker’s game, as he shared the field in Carolina with Luvu the last three years before also departing for Washington this spring.
"Frankie's a dog," Chinn said, via the team website. "They're definitely gonna get somebody who's high energy, somebody who's gonna put his all on the line every single Sunday, every single week."
Luvu’s career started in 2018 with the Jets, where he acted in a limited role for three years, accumulating four starts and 59 tackles in that span. But after joining the Panthers in 2021, the now-27-year-old Luvu worked his way up the depth chart, starting 14 games in 2022 and all 17 this most recent season. He has recorded a combined 236 tackles the past two years, along with 12.5 sacks, nine passes defensed, a trio of forced fumbles and an interception.
With such a quick ascent up the defensive rankings for Luvu heading into the next phase of his career, one of his new teammates expressed he’s just glad to be on the same side now. Quarterback Marcus Mariota spent a season with the Falcons in 2022, and joked that he has had his fill of Luvu lining up against him while both were in the NFC South, after being sacked three times in two games against the Panthers that year.
"Aside from him hitting me all the time, I've gotten to know him a little bit over the course of the last six or seven years,” Mariota said. “Man, if you ever just turn on tape and watch that guy run around and make plays, it's really, really impressive."
With the Commanders, Luvu will also get the chance to work with one of the best players around at his position, as he’s set to play alongside Bobby Wagner. The nine-time Pro Bowler also signed in Washington this offseason and has already expressed excitement at working with Luvu, saying he’s “always watched his game from afar.”
For his part, Luvu knows working with the veteran on a daily basis can only be a boon for his game.
"He's the epitome of a linebacker," Luvu said. "He does it all. Student of the game, how he goes about his ways and habits, watching film. You can name it all. So, to have him in the building and to work with him, it's just a blessing."
As for his goals for continuing his upward trajectory with a new team, Luvu said he wants to emphasize his diverse skillset, believing he can be categorized as more than just a standard linebacker.
"You can put me anywhere and we're gonna go get it,” Luvu said.
The Commanders officially opened their offseason program on April 2, and will have another voluntary minicamp April 22-24 before organized team activities kick into gear in May.