There's Earl Thomas' way of entering the final year of his Seahawks' deal. And there's K.J Wright's way
There's Earl Thomas' way to deal with being a star entering the final year of his Seahawks' contract.
Then there's the Wright way.
Like Thomas, K.J. Wright is one of the few foundational, Pro Bowl players remaining on the defense that won Seattle's only Super Bowl four years ago. Like Thomas, Wright says he wants to stay with the Seahawks for his football life.
Like Thomas', Wright's deal with the team ends after 2018.
"Hmmmm....They know about that?" Wright joked Wednesday.
The Seahawks' engaging, popular weakside linebacker the last seven seasons was speaking from team headquarters following the second of three practices of this week's mandatory minicamp that ends Thursday.
Unlike Thomas, Wright is here. He is fully participating in all of the Seahawks' offseason workouts and activities. He's not holding out to scream to all how much he wants that new contract.
Why? Why not do what Thomas is doing? Why not stay away, to let the Seahawks and the world know he wants a new deal now, that he won't report to the team for anything until he gets one?
"Why am I here? Why am I not holding out?" Wright said, repeating what I asked him Wednesday. "I just want to control what I can control. I want to get better in the offseason. I believe spring ball is the way to improve yourself. And it's my job to make sure I build this chemistry with my defense. I want this defense to be good. I want Coach Norton (new defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr.) to have a good first year. And I've always believed in, control what you can control.
"And that's what I'm going to do.
Also like Thomas, Wright is thinking about his future beyond this year and the $7.2 million he has remaining on his contract.
And he wants his future to be in Seattle.
"I want to be here, of course," Wright said "The Seahawks know that. And whatever they want to do, they'll do.
"It's my job to be the best that I can be, to make sure that K.J. and this defense is good. They know what it is.
"Yeah," he said with a chuckle, "let's get something done!"
Of course, there are two sides to these contract issues. The Seahawks also have their ways of dealing with expiring, second contracts of their stars as they approach 30 years old.
Wright's approach is their preferred one. Come to practices and workouts. Mentor rookie Shaquem Griffin, even though the team drafted him to play Wright's position some day. Be one of the franchise's most dependable and likeable leaders, by continuing to buy into coach Pete Carroll's program that the younger players are learning by which they are abiding.
Thomas' disruptive, increasingly acrimonious way is the obvious opposite of that. In every way. Think the Seahawks wouldn't want Thomas here teaching second-year man Tedric Thompson the nuances of how to play free safety at Thomas' All-Pro level?
Thompson was the free safety for Thomas in the first practice of minicamp on Tuesday. Wednesday, increasingly versatile and valuable Bradley McDougald moved from strong safety to be the free safety and second-year man Delano Hill was the strong safety.
While Carroll says when asked if he expects Thomas to play in Seattle's season opener Sept. 9 at Denver "we'll see," Wright is where he's been every minicamp, every OTA and every practice for which he's been healthy enough to participate since 2011. He's wearing jersey number 50 on the Seahawks' field, lined up at outside linebacker.
Wright is two months younger than Thomas. He is earning $1.3 million less this year, and $11.5 million less over their concurrent, four-year extensions.
Thomas was the NFL's highest-paid safety when he signed his second contract in 2014. He wants to stay at or near the top of the league's market for his position beyond 2018. That's $13 million per year with $40 million guaranteed, what Kansas City gave Thomas' draft classmate Eric Berry last year.
Wright? For the last three seasons he's been content being the second-highest paid Seahawks linebacker behind his good friend Bobby Wagner, the All-Pro in the middle. Wagner has two years and $20.5 million remaining on the four-year, $43 million extension he signed in the summer of 2015, months after Wright signed his deal.
Perhaps it's the difference between how Thomas and Wagner came into and through the league this decade.
Thomas was the 14th-overall choice by the Seahawks in the first round of the 2010, draft after starring at Texas. He shows his emotions. He says whatever is on his mind, including retirement the night he broke his leg in a game against Carolina in 2016. He's been voted into a half-dozen Pro Bowls and is on a path to the Hall of Fame.
Wright is softer spoken and more diplomatic, a listener and thinker as well as a doer. He was a fourth-round pick from Mississippi State. The rest of the league didn't vote Wright into the Pro Bowl until last season.
Or maybe it's as simple as Thomas thinking about himself getting all he can when he can in this non-guaranteed league and Wright thinking about the team, while content with what he's already received.
Wright said it's not awkward to be grooming Griffin even though the rookie could someday replace him at weakside linebacker.
"Not at all, man. It's my job to give everything that I have in me," Wright said. "I'm going to share everything that I've got. It's the circle of life."
Yes, while Thomas is going Black Panther opposing the Seahawks' power structure in his contract situation, Wright is going Lion King.
"If someone didn't teach me, I wouldn't be in the position that I am," he said, coming up on the end of his $28.5 million contract. "So I'm going to share everything. It's not a competition or (that) I'm not going to share anything, because I'll be fine. Even if something was to happen with my career, I'll be OK."
Wright said in 2011 when he was a Seahawks rookie his teachers were Norton, then his linebackers and now back from three seasons away leading Oakland's defense to be Seattle's defensive coordinator, and defensive linemen Brandon Mebane and Red Bryant.
Wright and Wagner are the two recognizable names on the otherwise overhauled and transitioned defense right now.
“It feels good, man," said Wright, who turns 29 next month. "At this point of my career, I believe that it’s good for me to be in this position to show my leadership abilities, to show the guys how to play the game, because there’s a lot of guys that haven’t played a lot of football. For me to be in the position I have, going on eight years, it feels good to share my knowledge, share my experience, my scars with these guys.
"So me and Bobby are just running the show, showing guys how it’s supposed to be done and just keeping the standard going.”
Wright agrees the defense losing Richard Sherman, Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril, Kam Chancellor and, for now, Thomas since the Seahawks' last game on New Year's Eve is jarring.
"Yeah, I mean, of course you miss those guys’ savvy out there. You miss their experience because we all came in together, we saw a lot of ball together," Wright said. "But it’s fun, like I said, like I got Shaq (Shaquill) Griffin (at left cornerback) right beside me (who hasn't) had those years of experience
"But we’re building it, going on our second year together. It’s just fun to restart something and rebuild with new guys. ... They are hungry. This is their first time in the NFL. And that's an exciting thing."
ROSTER MOVE
Before practice the Seahawks announced they signed linebacker Austin Calitro, who was briefly on their practice squad in 2017, and waived linebacker Dadi Nicolas.
This story was originally published June 13, 2018 at 6:56 PM with the headline "There's Earl Thomas' way of entering the final year of his Seahawks' deal. And there's K.J Wright's way."