K. J. Wright facts for kids
Wright with the Seattle Seahawks in 2011
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| San Francisco 49ers | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Defensive quality control coach | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | July 23, 1989 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 246 lb (112 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Olive Branch (Olive Branch, Mississippi) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Mississippi State (2007–2010) | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2011 / Round: 4 / Pick: 99 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| As coach: | |||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
Kenneth Bernard Wright Jr., born on July 23, 1989, is a former American football player. He played as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for eleven seasons. Today, he works as a defensive quality control coach for the San Francisco 49ers. The Seattle Seahawks picked him in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL draft. Before that, he played college football for the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Contents
Early Life and High School Sports
Wright grew up in Olive Branch, Mississippi. He went to Olive Branch High School. He was a talented athlete who played three sports: football, basketball, and track. He was named one of the best defensive players in the state. In his senior year, he made 91 tackles. Many top colleges offered him scholarships, including Auburn and Arkansas. He decided to play for Mississippi State.
College Football Career
Wright played college football at Mississippi State University. He wore jersey number 34 and played as a linebacker for the Bulldogs. In his second year, he became a starter on defense. He continued to start for most of his college career. Even in his senior year, he started ten out of twelve games.
College Statistics
Here are some of K. J. Wright's statistics from his college football career:
| Season | Games | Defense | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Sck | PD | FF | QBH | |
| 2007 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | 12 | 12 | 72 | 4.0 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| 2009 | 12 | 10 | 81 | 2.0 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 2010 | 13 | 13 | 98 | 4.0 | 9 | 1 | 4 |
| Career | 47 | 35 | 258 | 14.0 | 14 | 3 | 11 |
Professional Football Career
Joining the NFL
Before the NFL draft, experts thought Wright would be picked in the third round. He was ranked as one of the best outside linebackers. The Seattle Seahawks chose him in the fourth round as the 99th overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft. The Seahawks coaches liked his skills and thought he would be a good strong side linebacker.
On July 29, 2011, Wright signed a four-year contract with the Seahawks. He quickly impressed his coaches during training camp. He even started practicing at middle linebacker.
Seattle Seahawks (2011–2020)
Rookie Season (2011)
Wright played his first professional game and started for the Seahawks in their season opener. He made five tackles. He became a starting strong side linebacker after another player was traded. On December 1, he got his first career sack against the Philadelphia Eagles. He finished his first season with 65 tackles and two sacks.
Second Season (2012)
In 2012, Wright continued as a starting strong side linebacker. He took over calling plays for the defense. He had a season-high 11 tackles in a game against the Green Bay Packers. He also got his first career interception against the Buffalo Bills. He finished the season with 98 tackles. The Seahawks made it to the playoffs, and Wright played in his first playoff game.
Super Bowl Champion (2013)
Wright, along with Bobby Wagner and Malcolm Smith, were the starting linebackers in 2013. He made 11 tackles in a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He broke his foot in December and missed the rest of the regular season. Even with the injury, he finished the season with 80 tackles.
The Seahawks had a great season, finishing with a 13–3 record. Wright returned from his injury for the playoffs. On February 2, 2014, he started in Super Bowl XLVIII. The Seahawks won the Super Bowl by beating the Denver Broncos 43–8.
Super Bowl XLIX (2014)
On December 18, 2014, Wright signed a new four-year contract with the Seahawks. He became one of the highest-paid outside linebackers. He had a season-high 13 tackles against the Oakland Raiders. He finished the 2014 season with 107 tackles, his first time getting over 100 tackles in a season. He also started all 16 games.
The Seahawks made it to the Super Bowl XLIX again. Wright recorded 11 tackles in the game. However, the New England Patriots won the Super Bowl 28–24.
Productive Seasons (2015-2017)
In 2015, Wright continued to be a key player. He had a controversial play where he batted a fumbled ball out of the endzone, which should have been a penalty. He finished the season with 115 tackles, his second straight season with over 100 tackles.
In 2016, Wright had a career-high 126 tackles and four sacks. He was chosen to play in the 2017 Pro Bowl, which was his first time being selected for this honor.
In 2017, Wright made a season-high 15 tackles against the Houston Texans. He missed one game due to a back injury, which ended his streak of 53 consecutive starts. He finished the season with 108 tackles and an interception.
Later Seahawks Years (2018-2020)
In 2018, Wright had knee surgery and missed the first six games of the season. He returned later in the season but had to leave a game early due to his knee injury.
On March 14, 2019, Wright signed a new two-year contract with the Seahawks. He had a very strong season, recording 132 tackles, which was his career high. He also had three interceptions, including two in one game against the Carolina Panthers.
In 2020, Wright continued to make big plays. He intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble in a game against the Minnesota Vikings. He also got his first sack since 2016. He was recognized for his great performance by being named to the NFL Top 100 list for the first time.
Las Vegas Raiders (2021)
On September 6, 2021, Wright signed a one-year contract with the Las Vegas Raiders. This reunited him with his former Seahawks defensive coordinator, Gus Bradley.
Retirement
On July 27, 2022, K. J. Wright signed a special one-day contract. This allowed him to officially retire as a member of the Seattle Seahawks, the team where he spent most of his career.
Coaching Career
On March 4, 2024, Wright announced that he had been hired as a coach for the San Francisco 49ers. His title was later changed to defensive quality control coach.
NFL Career Statistics
Here are K. J. Wright's statistics from his professional NFL career:
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won the Super Bowl | |
| Bold | Career high |
Regular Season Statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | FF | FR | Yds | TD | Int | Yds | TD | PD | ||
| 2011 | SEA | 16 | 12 | 65 | 50 | 15 | 2.0 | 1 | 1 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2012 | SEA | 15 | 15 | 98 | 68 | 30 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 24 | 0 | 5 |
| 2013 | SEA | 13 | 13 | 80 | 46 | 34 | 1.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2014 | SEA | 16 | 16 | 107 | 73 | 34 | 2.0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2015 | SEA | 16 | 16 | 116 | 71 | 45 | 1.0 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2016 | SEA | 16 | 16 | 126 | 72 | 54 | 4.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 2017 | SEA | 15 | 15 | 108 | 71 | 37 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| 2018 | SEA | 5 | 5 | 23 | 15 | 8 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2019 | SEA | 16 | 16 | 132 | 67 | 65 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 11 |
| 2020 | SEA | 16 | 16 | 86 | 60 | 26 | 2.0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| 2021 | LV | 17 | 8 | 51 | 25 | 26 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 161 | 148 | 992 | 618 | 374 | 13.5 | 11 | 9 | 34 | 0 | 6 | 42 | 0 | 54 | |
Personal Life
In 2015, K. J. Wright asked his girlfriend, Nathalie, to marry him during a tour of a Boeing factory. They got married on May 27, 2017, in Seattle. They have two sons together. The Wright family was even featured on an episode of the TV show House Hunters in 2019. Since Wright joined the San Francisco 49ers coaching staff in 2024, he and his family have been living in Pacifica, California.
Images for kids
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Wright (#50) playing for the Seahawks in 2020.
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