Seahawks Ex K.J. Wright Speaks on Joining 49ers Coaching Staff: ‘Can’t Wait!’

Former Seattle Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright is joining a hated foe to begin his coaching career.

Seeing beloved players leave to join a rival team is a unique kind of pain, one that Seattle Seahawks fans experienced very recently.

On Monday, longtime Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright announced he would begin his coaching career as an assistant with, of all teams, the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle's most-hated rival. Considering that the Seahawks-49ers rivalry was at its peak in the early 2010s, the same time Wright burst onto the scene, some took him joining the enemy as a betrayal of sorts.

However, Wright still looks back fondly on his time in Seattle, and assured fans that he's not going to San Francisco to get back at his old team or anything of the sort.

"This isn't some vendetta move," Wright said on his KJ All Day podcast. "This is a really cool opportunity for me."

Wright, who spent 10 of his 11 NFL seasons in Seattle, was a beloved member of the Seahawks' vaunted defense during the 2010s. Over his 10 seasons in the Emerald City, Wright recorded nearly 1,000 total tackles and helped the Seahawks win their first Super Bowl in 2013.

After leaving Seattle, Wright spent just one season with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021 before retiring the following offseason.

Now, Wright prepares to move into the next chapter of his career with a team he went head-to-head with many times as a player, but also one he developed a respect for.

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"I can't wait to get started. Be a part of a championship culture. To bring another Super Bowl to my resume. To climb that ladder," Wright said. "I've got big aspirations for what I want to do next with this career. This is step one."