Should Seahawks keep K.J. Wright or go for one of these free agents?
The Seahawks have a lot of decisions to make. Few are as important as whether to keep K.J. Wright. If they don’t, who could step into his cleats?
K.J. Wright has been an excellent player for the Seahawks throughout his career. While he’s only made one Pro Bowl, all 12s know just how much he’s contributed to the Hawks defense. His outstanding performance in the playoff game versus the Cowboys was just another example of his greatness.
But he did miss 11 games with an injury and turns 30 before the season starts. Both of those facts count against him in the balance of pending free agency. We’ve seen how Seattle deals with players with those exact criteria already. So should the Seahawks re-sign Wright? And if not, who could they bring in to replace him?
More from 12th Man Rising
- 4 prospects Seahawks could reach for at No. 20 in 2023 NFL Draft
- Seattle Seahawks Mock Draft: Post-first wave of free agency
- Seahawks podcast: A review of the first week of free agency
- 4 experiments the Seattle Seahawks could cut short in 2023
- 3 pros and cons of Seattle Seahawks drafting Anthony Richardson
One big difference between Wright and Earl Thomas is that Wright made absolutely no mention of holding out for a new contract, as Thomas did. There are zero off-field issues regarding the man who’s teamed with Bobby Wagner for the past seven seasons. Pete Carroll made a point of praising Wright for his work ethic and leadership. Clearly, he’d like to keep Wright on the team.
That’s assuming Wright’s prospective contract would fit within the team’s salary cap. For more on that issue, look no further than right here. For our purposes here, I’ll assume Seattle will move on. There’s good reason to anticipate that Wright will command a big contract. Namely, he’s the best free agent at his position.