Seahawks GM: K.J. Wright had shoulder surgery, context for why linebacker drafted first
The longest-tenured Seahawk just had another surgery.
Linebacker K.J. Wright recently had a procedure on his shoulder, general manager John Schneider told KJR-AM radio in an interview that aired in Seattle Thursday evening.
“K.J. just had surgery. He’s rehabbing from his surgery. I’m not sure of the timeline of when he is going to be back,” Schneider said.
The Seahawks’ Pro Bowl veteran weakside linebacker turns 31 in July. He is entering the final year of his contract scheduled to pay him $5 million with a $10 million salary-cap charge to the team in 2020.
“Hopefully, he’ll get back on time (to start the season),” Schneider said. “We’ll see how it goes.”
Schneider was answering a question about Wright’s future in the context of Seattle drafting linebacker Jordyn Brooks with its first-round pick last weekend. Brooks excelled for three years at outside linebacker at Texas Tech and last season as Tech’s middle linebacker.
Schneider mentioned the possibility of Brooks playing as a rookie at weakside linebacker, where he would fit well with his speed, and Wright perhaps moving to strongside linebacker. A starter every year in Seattle, including the 2011 one in which the team drafted him, Wright has played some strongside linebacker in coach Pete Carroll’s 4-3 defense in the past. But not much.
The Seahawks drafted Brooks last weekend for his speed, smarts, maturity and his ability to tackle, especially in the open field. His new GM revealed a potential fifth reason: Wright’s return from surgery—though a few minutes later in the interview with KJR the GM said Wright’s surgery was “minor.”
Thing is, the coronavirus pandemic and NFL team facilities remaining closed for the foreseeable future make this offseason a trickier one for players coming off surgeries to recover and re-acclimate to the team and defense.
“It’s a weird offseason, I mean, for everybody,” Schneider said, “but especially for guys that have had offseason surgery.”
Schneider acknowledged Wright has a hallowed place on the Seahawks. And will for a long time.
Wright was the team’s nominee in 2018 for NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. That was after he went on vacation in the offseason to Kenya, and upon his return began donating money to provide clean water to towns in the Maasai Mara region of Kenya. He brought books on his trip, and helped teach English to children there.
In Seattle, where he says he wants to stay and live well after he’s done playing football, Wright has built houses for the homeless in south Seattle. He got involved with the Sawhorse Revolution, which began in 2010 as a summer carpentry camp for children on a farm north of Arlington in Snohomish County north of Everett.
“Look, K.J.., he’s going to be...hopefully, his name’s up there on the wall up there someday, right?” Schneider told KJR, referring to the Seahawks’ Ring of Honor on the facade of the seating decks inside CenturyLink Field.
“He is a special person and an amazing player. That’s why we did our deal with him last year.”
After Wright briefly shopped in free agency last spring, Schneider signed him to a two-year contract worth up to $15 million. But with only Wright’s first year, 2019, was guaranteed.
Wright said before last season he considered 2019 to be a prove-it season for him to earn his 2020 with the only NFL team he’s known.
He did. Healthy last season following a 2018 limited following summer knee surgery, Wright earned that second year of the contract. He had one of the better seasons of his nine-year career. He had three interceptions in Seattle’s win at Carolina last winter. He had three interceptions in nine years before that game.
He said following a wild win at home over the defending NFC-champion Los Angeles Rams in early October he cried in a game for the first time that night.
“Yeah,” he said in front of his locker at Lambeau Field Jan. 12 after the Seahawk’s season-ending playoff loss in Green Bay.
His laugh revealed he was satisfied with a job well done.
“I can’t lie,” he said. “It was a team effort, and I can’t take all the credit. But coming back the way I did, I’m proud of myself.
“I give myself a pat on the back for that.
“And, so, got to do it again.”
Wright also said before last season his goal was to play 10 years with the Seahawks, then reassess.
The upcoming 2020 season will be his 10th.
This story was originally published May 1, 2020 at 6:56 AM.
