Getty K.J. Wright (right) wants to return to the Seahawks.
A legendary Seattle Seahawks player is pushing for a Pacific Northwest reunion. During an interview with Caesars Sportsbook’s Trey Wingo, K.J. Wright made his pitch to return to the Seahawks in 2022. Wingo asked Wright for his “perfect situation” next season, and the former Seahawks linebacker put pressure on the Seattle front office to make it happen.
“I wanna go back home,” Wright said during a May 5, 2022 episode of the “Half-Forgotten History” podcast. “I think it’s that simple. Seattle knows that I want to come back. They know how much they mean to me. Last year, I left went to Vegas by myself. My family didn’t come with me. I’m not doing that again. I don’t think I’m going to move my family anywhere else across the country. And so, if it’s not Seattle then I’ll be happy. I’ll be content.”
Wingo responded by making a pitch of his own to Seahawks general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll.
“Alright so, this is a message now to Pete Carroll,” Wingo noted. “This is a message to John Schneider. I’m just sayin’, you guys let K.J. Wright go, and you went from almost being the No. 1 seed to the whole thing falling apart. So, you guys can correct it. You can right a wrong. Let’s get K.J. Wright home to Seattle.”
Wright co-signed on Wingo’s message to the Seahawks front office.
“Make it happen,” Wright added.
Here’s a look at Wright talking about a potential return to the Seahawks.
After 11 seasons in the NFL, free agent LB K.J. Wright has an idea where he’d like to play next season…home with the @Seahawks
The longtime stalwart of those great defenses @KJ_WRIGHT34 joins me on the latest Half-Forgotten History
🎧 to full show: t.co/oSqadDkIVp
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Wright Signed a 1-Year, $3.4 Million Contract With the Raiders in 2021
After Wright was unable to reach a deal with the Seahawks, the former Pro Bowl linebacker signed a one-year, $3.49 million deal with the Raiders in 2021. Wright played in all 17 games (including eight starts) for Las Vegas notching 51 tackles last season.
Pro Football Focus gave Wright a 63.7 for his one season with the Raiders, below the previous 75.3 he earned with the Seahawks in 2020. Wright’s days as a star may be over, but the Seahawks could use the depth at linebacker, even if they want to lean on Jordyn Brooks at the position. Based on Wright’s comments, it does not sound like the veteran defender is seeking a lucrative contract.
Carroll on Wright in 2021: ‘The Door Is Not Closed’
KJ Wright comes down with the pick. Incredible concentration.
Last offseason, Carroll insisted that the Seahawks had not closed the door on bringing back Wright, but the team did not appear to make a serious effort to keep the star linebacker in Seattle. Time will tell if the Seahawks will be more open to a reunion this offseason, especially since the team released Bobby Wagner.
“Yeah, I had a really good sit-down with him just the other day to bring it all together, where we’re coming from, we needed to hear where he’s coming from and talk about the future and what’s possible moving forward,” Carroll explained during an April 28, 2021 press conference. “So, we’re right nose to nose on this deal, but like John [Schneider] said, K.J. has been one of the classiest players you could ever expect to have in your program and been a fantastic player and so the door is not closed to us [with] what we’re doing moving forward. So, we’re very clear about that and feel really good about where we are with [K.J.].”