Washington Wolfpack set for first-ever playoff game

Published 11:46 am Friday, July 24, 2026

EVERETT — Two weeks into the 2026 season, the Washington Wolfpack Arena Football One team seemed headed down a familiar, dark path.

After just two wins in each of the franchise’s first two arena football seasons, ownership invested in a higher payroll to bring in new talent. The early returns were brutal as the team sat in last place in the standings after an 0-3 start.

Just over two months later, the AF1 team that calls Everett home is headed to Minnesota for the first playoff game in franchise history.

“We had made the call to provide a heftier budget for the talent, and to get the same result would have been a disaster on anybody’s scorecard,” said team owner Kelly Fahey. “We had some frank and candid conversations about where we were through three games in.”

It’s been quite a journey for the third-year franchise. Arena Football League rebooted in 2024, but quickly crumbled as some franchises failed to meet payroll and other expenses. The league rebranded as Arena Football One in 2025, and is setting itself up much better for long-term success, Fahey said.

“Season one AFL was a train wreck, right?” Fahey said. “And so we really chalk that up to that. We don’t even count that as a year. We didn’t learn anything. We’re an ownership group that really had no experience in sports — a motley crew that came together, thinking that maybe we could do something special in the community.”

“My goal was to do something really cool for Snohomish County, born and raised here, and not lose my ass doing it. And so my standing patent joke is, ‘Hey, I figured out the first part — I’m still trying to figure out the second part.’”

Part of the conversations early in the season involved the future of head coach JR Wells, a popular figure among players. Wells showed loyalty to players who had been with the team longer at the expense of more talented athletes, which hindered the team during the slow start. Eventually, Wells determined he needed to make some roster moves to save the season, and potentially his job.

The team released its two quarterbacks and brought in passer Jaiave Magalei. Though he’s missed some time due to injury, the former East Texas A&M signal-caller has led the team to a 4-2 record in his six starts.

Magalei arrived for the team’s final preseason practice, and showed potential. Wells elected to go with known quantities at the position, but felt a change was needed after the team scored just 19 points combined in losses to Oregon (33-16) and Nashville (45-3).”

New to arena football — which uses a smaller field and eight players instead of 11 among many differences — Magalei adjusted quickly.

“He’s never played arena ball before in this AF1 kind of deal, and when he came out, he was lighting things up,” Wells said. “So now, as a coach, I’m here in a position like, ‘This is actually the guy.’”

Though the Wolfpack lost its first game with Magalei at the helm to fall to 0-3, the offense showed promise in a 42-34 loss to Albany. Two weeks later, Washington scored 79 points against Oregon during a span of five wins in six games.

The ability to add players is a change from the first two seasons. Fahey said he and the rest of the ownership group realized more investment was needed to give Wells — and the franchise — a chance to succeed.

“We did increase our budget this year, and made the decision to stay the course with Coach Wells, who’s really the fabric of what we’re trying to build here from a culture perspective,” Fahey said. “We had a rough start to the year, so things weren’t looking great early. But we’re excited to be making history with our first trip to the playoffs. We know the fans are excited. We know the players are excited, and no doubt the ownership group is excited.”

In addition to acquiring some more costly players, the team acquired property at the former Martin Lumber location off of Broadway in downtown Everett. The team will host a watch party for the franchise’s first playoff game for “VIP” season ticket holders.

After Friday’s practice, Wells expressed gratitude to the franchise for keeping him around for the 2026 season and for the increased commitment to winning.

“My vision is like Bob Ross,” Wells said. “I have an empty canvas waiting to build a beautiful picture, and in the very beginning, the tools that I was provided were landscaping tools.

“Asked to build a house with landscaping tools, and as wise as I am, I looked at my tools, and I built a foundation. The soil’s rich, the roots are strong, the ground looks nice, the flowers are growing, the grass is green. And this being my third year, the prove-it year, was ownership saying, ‘Here’s everything that you were asking for.’”

With new tools like Magalei and AF1 Defensive Player of the Year candidate Byron Edwards, Wells believes Washington has a strong chance to extend its season with a win over Minnesota on Sunday.

“Somebody’s got to go to the couch next week, and we definitely don’t want to be those guys,” Wells said. “And we’re going to work our ass off when we get out there. We know we can rumble in the jungle, and we’re gonna prove it.”