Free-agent linebacker K.J. Wright isn’t going anywhere, telling ESPN’s Josina Anderson, “I am coming back to Seattle.”
Wright said that he will receive a two-year deal for up to $15 million.
Wright, who will turn 30 in July, appeared in only five regular-season games for the Seahawks in 2018 because of a knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery in late August. It kept him out for the first six games, and then he suffered a setback in his return and was sidelined for five more.
Wright finished strong with seven tackles in Week 17 and then eight tackles and a late interception in the Seahawks’ wild-card loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
Wright and All-Pro Bobby Wagner formed one of the NFL’s best linebacker tandems during their seven seasons together. A fourth-round pick (99th overall) out of Mississippi State in 2011, Wright topped 100 tackles every year from 2014 to 2017, and his 717 tackles rank seventh in franchise history.
He made his first and only Pro Bowl after the 2016 season, when he set career highs in tackles (126) and sacks (four).
Wright, who just finished out a four-year, $27 million extension signed in December 2014, said he took out an insurance policy to mitigate the risk of not being signed beyond 2018. On more than one occasion, he talked about embracing the opportunity to become a free agent, even if his preference would be to remain in Seattle.
This offseason, the Seahawks also kept fellow linebacker Mychal Kendricks, agreed to a deal with Pro Bowl kicker Jason Myers and lost safety Earl Thomas.
ESPN’s Brady Henderson contributed to this report.