After a long, frustrating to road to get here, K.J. Wright is back for Seahawks’ playoff run
K.J. Wright was like many kids in the South—heck, in the country—in the 1990s.
He was a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, America’s Team.
“Yep. Deion Sanders. Emmitt (Smith). Ken Norton,” Wright said.
He had posters of them on his wall in his bedroom while growing up in Olive Branch, Miss., in the 1990s.
“All of that, yep,” he said Tuesday, laughing.
Now, thanks to his Seahawks teammates picking him up this season, Wright is going to start a playoff game in Dallas against those Cowboys.
The 29-year-old Pro Bowl linebacker has endured knee surgery in August and then the most frustrating season of his eight-year career to get back at his weakside spot next to All-Pro friend Bobby Wagner for the NFC playoffs. Those begin for Seattle (10-6) at Dallas (10-6) on Saturday night in Arlington, Texas.
Wright missed the first eight games, returned to play in the win at Detroit Oct. 28, then missed five more games because the knee was not ready.
He’s played the last two weeks, wins over Kansas City and Arizona that clinched the Seahawks’ sixth postseason in the seven years Wright and Wagner have played side by side in Seattle’s defense.
“Yeah, I needed that. I needed that. I needed to get those reps in,” he said at his locker before a New Year’s Day practice. “I needed to get my feet wet. I needed to tackle again.
“I told my guys when I was hurt: ‘Just get me to the playoffs.’
“And they got the job done.”
Wright showed in last weekend’s regular-season finale against Arizona that he’s not only back, his speed and instincts are returning for the first time this season, too.
Cardinals punt returner Pharoh Cooper ran 54 yards to set up Arizona at the Seattle 21-yard line in the second quarter on Sunday. The Seahawks’ 14-10 lead was in jeopardy. Two plays later David Johnson caught a screen pass in the right flat. Wright read the route and play immediately. He zoomed outside, across the line and through Johnson’s blockers to drop the rugged running back for a 5-yard loss.
“Oh, it was amazing, man,” Wagner, Wright’s partner for the last seven seasons, said. “Especially the screen, when he made that tackle in the open field. That’s when I was kind of like ‘OK, he feels good.’
“And that’s all you really want to see him. See him feel good, see him getting out there and moving, and it’s good to have him back.
The Cardinals had to settle for a field goal after Wright’s reassuring play. The Seahawks stayed in front, and never trailed while winning for the 10th time in 14 games since their 0-2 start without Wright.
“Yeah, it felt good to make a play. It took me, what, 17 weeks for it?” Wright said, smiling.
“It’s good, man. It just felt good to get out there, run around, pain-free, to tackle in the open field, to get over five tackles. I was glad with the way I played.”
The rest of the league still knows how good Wright is. After making the Pro Bowl last season he got selected as an alternate for this season’s all-star game, on reputation alone. He had only played in three of 14 games when the league announced Pro Bowl voting results.
Wright got his second regenokine blood-spinning injection treatment in as many years in his knee in California last month. He said he’s now at the point he can play every down the entire game.
The Seahawks need that Saturday against the Cowboys. Dallas will run pounding Ezekiel Elliott, the NFL’s leading rusher, to set up elusive quarterback Dak Prescott’s running plus throwing to midseason acquisition Amari Cooper in a Cowboys offense that is more dynamic and better-functioning than the one Seattle faced in its 24-13 home victory over Dallas in week three.
Wright missed that game, too. They used four weakside linebackers in the first six games of the season trying to replace him.
Now he’s back next to Wagner in what could be his final games with the Seahawks. This is the final year of Wright’s contract. Wagner has publicly voiced his belief the team should do right by Wright and extend with a new deal.
Wright can’t be sure one’s coming. He turns 30 before next season begins. He just saw with Earl Thomas what the Seahawks think of doing in the future with one of their aging foundational players now 29 with a recent injury history. They are letting Thomas’ contract expire with the All-Pro safety on injured reserve with his second broken leg in three years instead of extending or trading him, as Thomas held out to demand this summer. Thomas had two interceptions in his third game after ending that holdout, the game against the Cowboys in September.
Wright absolutely knows that missing the first six games of the season, then five of the final seven, is not the optimal way to show his team it should re-sign him into his early 30s.
“When I got hurt it did cross my mind like, ‘Damn, this is the worst timing,’” Wright said upon his return to playing in October.
“But when you get hurt and you miss some ball, all you care about is football. And the contract stuff will handle itself. I just want to play. The money is the money. Whatever.”
Those are the words of a husband and father who has made $23.1 million in his NFL career. One who is earning $7.2 million this year. It’s the most money in one season of his career.
While Thomas stayed away from the team all spring and summer, tolling millions in fines, Wright dutifully showed up each day while in the same contractual situation.
“I just want to play ball,” Wright said, “be out there with my guys, and just do what I love. Football is first. And that stuff will handle itself.’’
The Seahawks’ nominee for the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year award always speaks and carries himself with a breezy, personable, down-to-earth persona. Football is part of his appreciated life, not all of it. He’s pledged money this season to a town he visited last offseason in Kenya, to build wells for clean water there. He has helped build houses for lower-income people in south Seattle.
He’s got a young family, and far more going on than a game.
But now, after a painful four months, he’s got a game going on, too. The biggest one of the season.
Wagner appreciates that his friend is going to be next to him Saturday night at Dallas.
“It’s another person that you communicate with,” Wagner said. “It’s a brother that you’ve been playing with, and I’m excited for him. I think as he gets the reps and as he keeps going, he’s going to make a lot more plays.
“So it’s going to be fun to watch.”
This story was originally published January 2, 2019 at 8:02 AM.
