Far From Done at 31: Healthy, Productive K.J. Wright Remains Pillar of Seahawks' Defense

Now in his 10th season, Wright has picked up where he left off following an outstanding 2019 campaign, obliterating screens, swatting away passes, and making tackles all over the field as he continues to play at a high level into his 30s for the Seahawks.

MIAMI GARDENS, FL - Stepping up to the podium to field questions from reporters after the Seahawks 31-23 win over the Dolphins, K.J. Wright was grinning from ear to ear. And it's easy to see why the veteran linebacker seems to be in seventh heaven in his 10th NFL season.

Now 31 years old, Wright has continued to turn away Father Time on the field, staying healthy and playing some of his best football now a decade into his career with the same organization that drafted him in 2011. While he was kicking himself over a pair of dropped interceptions, he may have played one of his best all-around games on Sunday in Miami, stuffing the stat sheet with eight tackles, three passes defensed, a tackle for loss, and a forced fumble.

"It was fun," Wright assessed. "My mission is always to come out, play hard. A lot of effort, get those hustle plays and just do everything I can to help this defense win. Everything was outstanding in my eyes."

Only two years ago, after missing all but five regular season games with chronic knee issues, all signs pointed to Wright leaving Seattle. Heading into free agency, he later admitted that he thought for sure he would be playing elsewhere.

But after a strong outing in a 24-22 wild card round loss to the Cowboys in which he showed he still had plenty left in the tank, the Seahawks decided to re-sign him to a two-year deal. As he told reporters, with no guaranteed money after the first year of the contract, he knew he would have to earn the second season with his play.

Wright did just that and then some, putting together arguably the finest season of his career in 2019. He established new career-highs in tackles (132), interceptions (3), and passes defensed (11) while starting all 18 of Seattle's games, including both postseason contests in Philadelphia and Green Bay.

Even after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery - which he initially held off - Wright made what coach Pete Carroll deemed a "miraculous" comeback. Avoiding the PUP list, he was a full participant from day one in training camp, holding off rookie Jordyn Brooks and maintaining his starting weakside linebacker job.

Through four games, Wright is on pace for 92 tackles, 12 passes defensed, and eight tackles for loss, remaining one of the anchors of Seattle's defense. Grateful for his health and playing his whole career with the same team, he's proud of what he's accomplished to this point.

"I believe that when I look back at my career I'm going to be very happy," Wright smiled. "I believe in my 10th year, to look the way I'm looking, I'm truly thankful. I look excellent. I look great. And I'm thankful that I'm healthy, still balling and to play 10 years in this league, to play 10 years with the Seahawks and to look this good, couldn't ask for a better career."

Having coached Wright throughout his NFL career, Carroll believes the linebacker continues to excel in large part due to his "instinct and savvy." Even if he's lost a step, his ability to quickly decipher plays offsets any athletic limitations, as evidenced by the multiple screen passes he destroyed on Sunday.

"It's just remarkable and obvious that he's making plays on the other side of the field because he sees it happening," Carroll explained. "And he's making plays way in the back field on the screens and things, and it's really hard to get him on any of that stuff. That's experience, and he's just a great ball player."

During this young season, the Seahawks have uncharacteristically struggled on defense, yielding over 1,200 passing yards and 29 points per game during the first three games heading into Week 4.

But serving as a catalyst for the turnaround, Wright expressed optimism about Seattle's performance on Sunday, as the defense limited Miami to five field goals and a late rushing touchdown by quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Though they still gave up 315 passing yards and over 400 yards of total offense, they yielded just two pass plays of 20-plus yards in an outing he believes will be a stepping stone in the right direction.

"I thought we tackled decent. We didn't get those long balls that we were seeing in the first three weeks," Wright said. "So I was tremendously happy with that. This was a really good start to showing how good this defense can be, and we just gotta come out, build off of this game, build off of this win and go do it again next week."

If there's one thing Wright wasn't pleased about, it was his missed opportunities to haul in two gift-wrapped interceptions courtesy of Fitzpatrick. Both clanked off of his hands and the Dolphins were able to score a pair of field goals on each of those possessions.

Nonetheless, Wright understands it's still very early. With 12 games left to play, including six divisional matchups, there's plenty of time for him to achieve his personal goal for interceptions this season. After seeing how he has responded when many thought he was done in Seattle two years ago, it wouldn't be wise to bet against him.

"You know, I gotta catch 'em, but you know, we have, what, 14 more games? 12 more games? I'm going to get 'em. I'm going to get 'em. My goal is to get five this year, so I'm going to make it up. It's all good."