ASHBURN, Va. — In terms of focusing on what’s ahead versus what’s been done, Washington Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu is a triple-threat example of the power of positive thinking.
Undrafted out of Washington State University, Luvu spent three years working his way onto the field with the New York Jets, then worked his way up the depth chart with the Carolina Panthers, and earned himself a three-year deal with the Commanders this offseason. One of the few multi-year deals general manager Adam Peters agreed to in his first year trying to retool the roster.
In the next three years, Washington head coach Dan Quinn is looking for Luvu to continue his ascent in the NFL ranks, this time to becoming a catalyst for what will become the return of winning football in the DMV.
“I think just how hard he plays (stands out),” Quinn said of Luvu following Week 1 of the NFL season. “Obviously we kept him going forward a lot to go where a lot of his superpowers are. So I think (defensive coordinator) Joe (Whitt Jr.) did a good job of featuring him in those ways to be aggressive and use him…man, was I impressed just for the energy and the toughness that he brings.”
Luvu brings that toughness and energy to everything he does. Whether it be making an NFL roster to begin with, helping a team learn how to win, or dealing with the loss of a family member and even the addition of a new one, Luvu has one gear. He credits his mother and his faith being the stabilizing forces he can lean on throughout it all. And his inspiration for grinding to get everything he’s earned.
“My mom has been the backbone of my family,” Luvu says. “So there was no other option but to put it on my shoulders and carry it from there. (I’ve) just always been counted out and God always pulled through. With him I can do everything and without him, I wouldn’t be here today…There's no shortcut around it. What you put in is what you're going to get out.”
All that Luvu put into his NFL career led to Peters and the Commanders reaching out to the linebacker’s camp on Day 1 of the league’s open negotiating period - otherwise known as ‘legal tampering’ - to carve out the details of that three-year deal. It’s a moment that Luvu says left him speechless then, and still does today.
It’s another blessing in what most outsiders would call a truly blessed life for Luvu. But don’t call it luck, because the soon-to-be 28-year old has climbed every mountain he’s conquered.
Two of the several tattoos Luvu has carefully selected for his body tell you all you need to know about one of the newest Washington linebackers. One, a quote from NBA legend Kobe Bryant, reminds him that the job is never finished. The other, his son’s name Tank, another part of Luvu’s life he manifested into his reality after getting the name tattooed on him before his son even existed.