Inside The Huskies

Injured Kevin King Will Sit Out Second Consecutive NFL Season

The former Husky cornerback tore an Achilles heel in workout.

Dan Raley

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Kevin King, the former University of Washington cornerback who sat out the 2022 NFL season to get his mind and body right, will have a longer football absence than he intended.

In a YouTube video released on Saturday, King told how he tore an Achilles tendon during an offseason workout and underwent surgery in Charlotte, North Carolina, a month ago.

Further complicating his world, he also revealed that his younger brother recently died. 

"I can't let life set me back," King said in his video, recounting all of his personal setbacks. "I'm excited for this journey. I'm built for it."

A second-round pick, the 6-foot-3, 200-pound corner from Oakland, California, played five injury-filled seasons for the Green Bay Packers, starting 42 of 51 games played, before taking his break.

King thought it was necessary to sit out after having some sort of medical procedure following each of his pro seasons, dealing with shoulder and hamstring injuries and more.

He had his best pro season in 2019, starting 14 of 15 games and coming up with 5 of his 7 career interceptions and 15 of his 30 career pass break-ups.

King didn't appear in more than 11 games for the Packers in any other season.

Feeling renewed, he dove into offseason workouts this winter but realized he was badly injured when it happened.

"I tore my Achilles, I knew it right away," King said. "I went to the ER that night. I had surgery a few weeks later."

He faces three to four months with his injured foot in a protective boot before he can begin rehabilitation, which likely will take him through the football season. Or maybe not.

Current UW edge rusher Zion Tupuola-Fetui tore an Achilles tendon during 2021 spring training and he resumed playing six months later, though a concussion thwarted that comeback.

King, 28, was part of the Huskies' CFP team in 2016 and a 37-game starter in 45 games. He'll miss two consecutive NFL seasons and try to regain what he once had. He remains notably upbeat.

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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