Tag: KJ Wright

KJ Wright: Accountability ‘wasn’t even’ for Seahawks early in Russell Wilson’s career

Watch now-retired linebacker KJ Wright confirm the long-standing rumor that Pete Carroll’s staff coddled Wilson early in his career compared with the Legion of Boom.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll has admitted that Monday night’s win over Russell Wilson and the Broncos was “meaningful” for him. Odds are it will go down as one of the most famous games in history – and not just for this franchise. Clearly, NFL fans found the allure of Wilson facing his former team a compelling one, as ESPN earned the highest ratings for any Monday night game since the 2009 season.

While some people may be surprised by the negative reaction Wilson received, the truth is that he’s always been a polarizing character for this team – especially when they were at their best. The crux of it seems to be the divide between Wilson when he was still developing and a defense that was the most-dominant on the planet.

Watch now-retired linebacker KJ Wright confirm the long-standing rumor that Pete Carroll’s staff coddled Wilson early in his career compared with the Legion of Boom.

It’s clear Wright’s feelings towards Wilson are not bitter the way it seems to be for some of their former teammates. That gives him more credibility when he speaks to these things.

Meanwhile, other former Seahawks like Richard Sherman and Doug Baldwin clearly relished watching Wilson lose.

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KJ Wright calls rookie CB Tariq Woolen ‘my favorite since Day 1’

Former Seattle linebacker KJ Wright is extremely excited about one player in particular.

The Seattle Seahawks’ OTAs and preseason have both concluded and the team’s least anticipated regular season in a decade starts in two weeks.

Despite extremely reserved expectations for the team as a whole, a few Seahawks have shown an abundance of promise throughout these past few months. Former Seattle linebacker KJ Wright is extremely excited about one player in particular: rookie cornerback Tariq Woolen.

“When I saw this guy in OTAs, I was like, ‘Who is this guy making these plays, getting these interceptions?’ Tall and fast,” Wright said.

“Oh my God, he made a phenomenal play in OTAs,” he continued. “And you see him now, he’s comfortable, his technique looks really good, he has the speed.”

This is presumably the play he referred to:

Woolen has all the intangibles to be a superstar cornerback in the NFL, including size, speed, arm length and athleticism, but he is still raw as a defender and needs time to develop. He slipped all the way to the fifth round in the 2022 NFL draft, where Seattle scooped him up.

Despite this, Woolen has turned heads throughout training camp and could start in Week 1 against the Denver Broncos. Wright certainly thinks he will:

“I fully expect him to start Week 1 at corner. He looks very, very good. So he’s been my favorite since Day 1.”

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J.R. Sweezy signs ceremonial contract to retire with Seahawks

However, Wright is not alone in this department.

It seems every day the Seattle Seahawks are in an offseason of transition. The last of the “old guard” are being transitioned out from the organization, in one way or another.

Earlier this week the Seahawks witnessed a pair of retirements from beloved players. Running back Chris Carson hung up the cleats due to a neck injury, and linebacker K.J. Wright signed a ceremonial one-day contract to retire as a member of the Seahawks. However, Wright is not alone in this department.

On Friday afternoon it was announced left guard J.R. Sweezy is following in Wright’s footsteps, and will be signing a similar ceremonial contract to officially end his career in Seattle.

It’s not every day fans are invested in a left guard, but not every left guard has a unique story like J.R. Sweezy. Originally a defensive tackle from NC State, Seattle selected Sweezy in the 7th round of the 2012 NFL Draft… as an offensive linemen.

The experiment born out of the mind of Tom Cable actually payed off well for the Seahawks. From 2012-2015, the Seahawks managed to find themselves a mainstay in their offensive line as Sweezy became one of their more consistent men up front. Following a two-year stint in Tampa Bay, Sweezy would return to the Seahawks in 2018 for one final season to help bring Seattle back to the postseason.

It speaks volumes to the kind of organization Pete Carroll and John Schneider have cultivated over the past 13 years where franchise icons want to “return home” when it’s all said and done.

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KJ Wright says he will either play for Seahawks in 2022 or he will retire

However, Wright has singled out one team he will play for if he chooses to keep playing.

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Former Seahawks linebacker KJ Wright remains a free agent after his one-year tenure with the Raiders. It is safe to say that he is not exactly a coveted asset at his age; he will turn 33 years old next month and he can see the writing on the wall. 

However, Wright has singled out one team he will play for if he chooses to keep playing: the very team that drafted him.

“I think it’s pretty well known where I stand at, how I want to end my career, going into my 12th season,” Wright told SiriusXM. “If it’s not in Seattle, then I’ll be all good.”

Wright revealed that he left his family behind in Seattle to play for the Raiders and wishes to stay with them going forward, so the Emerald City is the only place that makes sense for him.

However, it is unknown if Seattle has any interest in bringing the veteran linebacker back into the fold, as they have two promising young linebackers in Jordyn Brooks and Cody Barton, and look to move forward with them. Wright also stated that he will not settle for a midseason signing, so don’t count on him returning if he is still unsigned months from now. 

Wright has had a storied Seahawks career and it would be heartening to see him in the blue and green again, but with his age and Seattle’s young talent at the forefront, it is difficult to see it happening.

“So we’ll see,” Wright concluded. “Seattle knows my heart. It only makes sense for me to go back. And so we’ll see what they end up doing.”

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K.J. Wright predicts Denver Broncos will finish last in AFC West  

Russell Wilson’s former teammate says Denver will finish last in the loaded AFC West and miss the postseason entirely. 

Despite a six-year playoff drought, it feels like the Denver Broncos are a shoo-in to make the postseason after landing ex-Seahawk QB Russell Wilson.

But Wilson’s former teammate, K.J. Wright, isn’t buying into the hype. He says the team will finish last in the loaded AFC West and miss the postseason entirely. 

“I have the Raiders [at No. 1] … the Chargers at No. 2. I got the Chiefs finishing third,” Wright said in an interview with USA TODAY’s Mackenzie Salmon.  

“You got to look at it from a holistic standpoint — you got to look outside of the quarterbacks, what’s on the other side of the ball, what’s on defense. I believe the Broncos have some pieces, but I don’t know if it’s going to be enough to slow down these weapons in this division. It’s going to be tight, but only three are going to make it.” 

Watch the full interview, including Wright’s prediction as to whether Wilson will get booed at his Seattle homecoming: 

 

K.J. Wright tells Will Compton why he didn’t re-sign with Seahawks in 2021

Wright recalled his 2021 offseason, in which he went months without receiving a single call from an NFL team

Long-time former Seattle Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright recently sat down with fellow Raiders LB Will Compton on his podcast to discuss his career in the Emerald City and his current relationship with the Seahawks organization. Wright recalled his 2021 offseason, in which he went months without receiving a single call from an NFL team before he eventually signed a one-year contract with Las Vegas. He found this perplexing, as he turned in a solid 2020 season at age 31.

“Yeah so, I put together a very, very… in my eyes, a Ring of Honor career. . . I just did, got the Super Bowls, got the Pro Bowls, almost got 1,000 tackles in Seattle… I’m, like, seven, eight away. I just had a stellar career. Cracked the [NFL] Top 100 for the first time, No. 67. But if you look at that list, I’m the only guy that was a free agent. I’m like, ‘How the hell did I put together this really good career, first of all, put together this really good year 10 and don’t nobody want me?'”

When Compton pressed Wright about the possibility of returning to the Seahawks, Wright revealed he had discussions with coach Pete Carroll about the situation he would find himself in if he returned, as they had young linebackers Jordyn Brooks and Cody Barton waiting in the wings.

“When it came down to sign with the Raiders, I called Pete. I said, ‘Pete, I’ve got this offer on the table, I really don’t want to leave. I don’t want to leave, I want to stay in Seattle. ​​Is there anything we can do? I’ll take a lesser role, I understand you want to play Jordyn, I’ll come off the field. What can we do so I stay in Seattle?’ He’s like, ‘Ah KJ, I hate this. Let me talk to [general manager] John [Schneider] and let’s see if we can get something done.'”

Ultimately, it seemed like the Seahawks were confident enough in their future at the linebacker position to refrain from giving Wright what he wanted in regards to money, even though he told Compton he would have accepted being in a reduced role in 2021.

“…I gave the city everything I had. I gave these people every ounce in my body, and some stuff just doesn’t make sense, organization-wise, like, how and why do you let me leave the building when I’m willing to take a lesser role, when I’m willing to still give you all that I got? Like, why? It don’t make sense to me, especially when I extend the olive branch in saying: ‘Can we work something out?'”

Regardless of Wright’s feelings toward the organization, he will be remembered fondly in Seahawks history as an underrated component of the team’s run of success over the past decade by fans and former teammates alike.

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Raiders KJ Wright feels slighted in favor of Browns in postponement decision

League and NFLPA only postponed the game because it helped the Browns, says Raiders player:

As the NFL and NFLPA were discussing options for postponing games for Week 15, the Las Vegas Raiders were waiting to board a plane to fly to Cleveland for Saturday’s game. The Raiders’ flight was one of the factors in the timing of the decision for the postponements. The NFL and NFLPA did not want them to board the plane if changes were possible.

Now that we have multiple reports that the two teams will not face off until Monday at 5 PM, as well as two other games likely being changed, the Raiders will return home and fly out, most likely, on Sunday. K.J. Wright, the former Seattle star linebacker, is not happy about the postponement:

Wright’s frustration is understandable as Las Vegas holds on to slim hopes for a playoff birth and was scheduled to play a very limited team due to COVID-19 losses. Interesting that he believes the NFL and NFLPA showed some kind of favoritism toward the Browns with the decision despite two other games also being moved.

The postponed game doesn’t guarantee Cleveland will have any of their players back from the reserve/COVID-19 list. Wright and the Raiders still may have a chance versus a gutted roster but the postponement will help the Browns be prepared and hopefully get a few players back.

Raiders LB Denzel Perryman downgraded to OUT vs Chiefs

KJ Wright will be next man up at MLB for #Raiders as Denzel Perryman downgraded to OUT vs #Chiefs

Friday Raider Interim Head Coach Rich Bisaccia gave starting middle linebacker Denzel Perryman a status of Doubtful for Sunday’s game against the Chiefs. He said the team would be giving him another look on Saturday and possibly Sunday morning before deciding for sure whether he would be able to go.

Well, they have given Perryman that look, and the news wasn’t positive. Perryman has now officially been downgraded to OUT as the team heads to Kansas City.

The loss of Perryman is significant. He not only the team’s leading tackler, but his 85 solo tackles leads the NFL by a wide margin and his 133 combined tackles is currently third in the NFL.

He is the heart and soul and, most importantly, the brain of the Raiders defense. When he injured his ankle last Sunday against Washington, his absence was quite obvious.

Expected to replace Perryman at the MIKE is veteran KJ Wright who up to this point has come in and out of games when the team plays their base 4-3 defense.

Raiders Week 1 snap counts vs Ravens: Denzelle Good plays 10 snaps on torn ACL

Raiders Week 1 snap counts vs Ravens: Denzelle Good plays 10 snaps on torn ACL

Reports came out on Tuesday afternoon that Denzelle Good has been lost for the season with a torn ACL. Good left the game Monday night against the Ravens on the seventh snap of the game. But if you look at the snap counts, he played 17 snaps. How could that be? Well, I’ll tell you.

Initially, Good was replaced at right guard by Jermaine Eluemunor. But come the second quarter, Good trotted back onto the field. He played the full four snaps on the first series. And after briefly being replaced again by Eluemunor, Good returned to the game to play six more snaps. That means Good played ten snaps ON A TORN ACL! That’s insane.

The Raiders are going to miss him the rest of the season and I could see them looking to add a guard in the coming days.

Most of the notable snaps came on defense where there were a lot of new faces. Two recent additions came at linebacker where the team added veterans Denzel Perryman and KJ Wright.

Perryman got the start alongside Cory Littleton and the two led all linebackers in snaps. KJ Wright saw 54% of the snaps which made last year’s starter Nick Kwiatkoski the odd man out, seeing just 23 snaps (24%).

New starting corner Casey Hayward saw all but one snap on defense. This means former starter Damon Arnette saw just one snap. Meanwhile, rookie starting nickel Nate Hobbs played 34 snaps (50%).

Here’s how the snap counts stacked up.

OFFENSE Spec Tms
Player Pos Num Pct Num Pct
Kolton Miller T 86 100% 5 16%
Alex Leatherwood T 86 100% 5 16%
John Simpson G 86 100% 5 16%
Derek Carr QB 86 100% 0 0%
Andre James C 86 100% 0 0%
Darren Waller TE 81 94% 0 0%
Jermaine Eluemunor T 69 80% 4 12%
Bryan Edwards WR 57 66% 0 0%
Henry Ruggs III WR 56 65% 7 22%
Hunter Renfrow WR 47 55% 4 12%
Foster Moreau TE 46 53% 22 69%
Josh Jacobs RB 45 52% 0% 0%
Kenyan Drake RB 41 48% 0% 0%
Alec Ingold FB 23 27% 22 69%
Zay Jones WR 20 23% 9 28%
Denzelle Good G 17 20% 1 3%
Derek Carrier TE 11 13% 27 84%
Willie Snead WR 2 2% 7 22%
Marcus Mariota QB 1 1% 0 0%
DEFENSE Spec Tms
Player Pos Num Pct Num Pct
Johnathan Abram SS 68 100% 20 62%
Trayvon Mullen CB 68 100% 5 16%
Trevon Moehrig DB 68 100% 5 16%
Casey Hayward CB 67 99% 5 16%
Maxx Crosby DE 62 91% 5 16%
Cory Littleton LB 57 84% 15 47%
Denzel Perryman LB 52 76% 0 0%
Johnathan Hankins DT 46 68% 5 16%
Quinton Jefferson DT 43 63% 5 16%
K.J. Wright LB 37 54% 3 9%
Nate Hobbs DB 34 50% 15 47%
Darius Philon DT 34 50% 5 16%
Yannick Ngakoue DE 33 49% 2 6%
Carl Nassib DE 30 44% 7 22%
Nick Kwiatkoski LB 16 24% 23 72%
Solomon Thomas DE 15 22% 0 0%
Gerald McCoy DT 9 13% 0 0%
Dallin Leavitt FS 8 12% 22 69%
Damon Arnette CB 1 1% 4 12%
SPECIAL TEAMS Spec Tms
Player Pos Num Pct Num Pct
Divine Deablo LB 0 0% 22 69%
Tyree Gillespie DB 0 0% 16 50%
Trent Sieg LS 0 0% 11 34%
AJ Cole III P 0 0% 11 34%
Daniel Carlson K 0 0% 10 31%
Amik Robertson CB 0 0% 8 25%
Brandon Parker T 0 0% 5 16%
Nick Martin C 0 0% 5 16

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KJ Wright talks about his role with Raiders and being ‘angry’ right now

KJ Wright talks about his role with Raiders and being ‘angry’ right now

The Raiders made it official on Monday. In one of the more hoped and anticipated moves of the Raiders offseason, they signed free-agent veteran linebacker KJ Wright.

Even at the age of 32, a player of Wright’s caliber still being on the market at this point is a bit surprising. After all, just last season he put up 11 tackles for loss and 10 pass breakups. Wright had every reason to believe teams would be lining up to sign him and that he would’ve been on a team long ago.

“Listen, this offseason I’ve been pissed off all offseason,” Wright said Monday. “I’ve been very, very angry. I’ve been at peace, but I’ve been mad at the same time, if that makes sense. I had a lot of people down on me this offseason and I’m still keeping it going. I’m thankful to be here, but that burning desire you’re talking about, it’s on a hundred right now.”

Ultimately, it took the Raiders finding themselves in desperation mode to finally clear some cap room and pull the trigger on signing Wright to the type of deal he feels his talent is worth.

Where the desperation came was in losing starting linebacker Nicholas Morrow. But even with Morrow, they didn’t have a linebacker who could bring the skillset that Wright brings and be an ideal fit for the SAM linebacker spot. Throughout camp, they had Tanner Muse lining up there with the first team, but he was just a placeholder. And he was waived with the announcement Wright had been added.

Gus Bradley’s defense doesn’t deploy a standard traditional SAM. It’s similar but goes by a different name. And to hear Wright tell it, his job will be a bit of everything.

“I would say to play the OTTO position and if he needs me at any other positions or nickel to know it, and play the hell out of it,” Wright said of his role.

“OTTO position is a guy that’s on the ball, off the ball, buzzing to the flats, setting the edge, making plays in the open field, communicating, helping the MIKE out, setting the front. He’s just the guy that just does everything — blitzes, coming off the edge — so he’s a guy that does a lot. A lot of dirty work, lot of open-field tackles, and so you got to be a baller out there.”

Wright added that he prides himself in knowing all three positions. And being that he and Gus Bradley worked together in Seattle, Wright should have no problem picking things up quickly and fitting right in. He and Cory Littleton should get the bulk of the snaps with Nick Kwiatkoski and Denzel Perryman available to start or play significant snaps at the third linebacker spot.

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