"He has carried this team for years" - NFL analyst feels K.J. Wright's criticism of Russell Wilson is unwarranted
Quarterback Russell Wilson last led the Seattle Seahawks to the Super Bowl seven years ago. Those were the days of the "Legion of Boom" defense who seemed nearly impregnable. But since then, the offense and defense have struggled to hold on to key playmakers and garner the success they once had.
One of those players that is no longer part of the Seahawks defense is linebacker K.J. Wright. Wright was drafted by the Seahawks in 2011 and became a free agent after the 2020 season and then signed with the Las Vegas Raiders.
The linebacker was a guest on the 950 KJR show this week and was speaking about the Seattle Seahawks. Wright placed the blame for the team's lack of success this year on the quarterback. Wright said the signal caller takes up too much of the salary cap space for the team to be able to invest in other players.
“You never want to count anybody’s pockets, but if you have all this money and your goal is to win, then you have to take a little bit less to eat so everybody can eat. We saw how Brady did it and look at him now.”
“You never want to count anybody’s pockets, but if you have all this money and your goal is to win, then you have to take a little bit less to eat so everybody can eat. We saw how Brady did it and look at him now.”
-@KJ_WRIGHT34 with us talking about Russell Wilson’s contract
Former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark shared his feelings about Wright's comments on ESPN's "Get Up" this morning. Clark, feels that the linebacker was completely wrong in his comments, stating that most quarterbacks don't take 'discounts' when it comes to their pay versus the rest of the team. He also went on to say that Wright should have never said a word about Wilson's salary or any other player's for that matter.
"Russell Wilson was a guy that has carried this team through many of these years after the Legion of Boom and so to me, KJ Wright is wrong in this instance, and tell me what other quarterbacks other than Tom Brady that has taken hometown discounts, none of them have. And so to call out Russell Wilson in this way, almost seems personal to me for KJ Wright." - Ryan Clark
Is K.J. Wright right about QB Russell Wilson?
Former Seattle Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright didn't hold back in his appearance on a radio show this week. Wright said quarterback Russell Wilson should have renegotiated his current contract so that the Seattle Seahawks could sign other players and remain within the salary cap. However, does he have a point?
This season Wilson's salary cap hit was $32 million dollars and that number is set to climb substantially over the final two seasons of his contract. His cap hit for the 2022 season is set to be $37,000,000 and in 2023 it will top out at $40,000,000.
With his current contract, Seattle's quarterback has taken the most hits to the Seahawks cap space than any other player. But his on-field and perhaps off-field accomplishments, too, have shown that he deserves a wealthy contract.
Russell Wilson put on a clinic last night Ian.
"I'm not saying he's definitely gonna leave Seattle but he wants to look around at his options.. I wouldn't rule out a trade" ~@RapSheet
#PatMcAfeeShowLIVE #Seahawks https://t.co/cDARjK9iSq
Apart from being the Seahawks' all-time passing leader with 37,059 yards and 292 touchdowns. Wilson is one of only four quarterbacks in NFL history with a career passer rating of over 100. Wilson is also the only quarterback in league history to have a winning record in each of his first nine seasons, simultaneously holding the record for most wins by an NFL quarterback through that many seasons with 98.
During his time with the Seahawks, Wilson has led the league in passer rating(2015) as well as touchdowns (2017). He has been named to nine Pro Bowls and has one second-team All-Pro selection (2019). He has also won the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award (2020) as well as the Bart Starr Award (2022).
His level of play hasn't diminished and he remains one of the few players still on the Seattle Seahawks roster through all the franchise's ups and downs. K.J. Wright's comments only amps up speculation that the longtime Seahawks quarterback could be on his way out of Seattle this offseason.