Seattle Seahawks fans already had to endure three years of watching cornerback Richard Sherman in red and gold, which looks less odd now than it did when he made his San Francisco 49ers debut. Could the Pacific Northwest handle another fan-favorite crossing over to the division rival?
If you think the 49ers will have to do some creative maneuvering to stay under the salary cap — whatever the limit ends up being — the rest of the NFC West is in worse situations. San Francisco's over $13 million in projected cap space leads the division, per OverTheCap.com. The Arizona Cardinals look to have under $12 million, the Seattle Seahawks just over $4 million, and the Los Angeles Rams — well, they need to figure out how to dig themselves out of a horrible financial situation.
Seattle may not be able to afford to keep K.J. Wright, and it sounds like the veteran linebacker would have no misgivings about crossing over to the enemy, as Sherman once did. He is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next month.
Seahawks fans hope Wright — a fixture in Seattle since 2011 — stays put. If he does leave, the 12s would likely cheer him on at his new home ... unless he lands with San Francisco.
One fan tweeted the following to Wright.
This dude is so legit. Out here replying to people. Man if you do leave for more money Seattle will miss you tremendously but will also cheer you on like crazy wherever you go. Unless it's SF. Thanks for everything and hope to see you in Seattle next year!!
— Dennis Topolski (@402Seahawks) February 22, 2021
The linebacker, who often replies to fans, didn't seem to have a problem with the 49ers, though.
What's wrong with SF?
— KJ (@KJ_WRIGHT34) February 22, 2021
The comment probably doesn't mean a whole lot. It's just an interesting look at the different perspectives players have versus fans. The NFL is a business, and most players tend to treat it as such. Wright would prefer to remain in Seattle but has no plans to give the Seahawks a hometown discount.
"I do way too much on the football field to take a discount," Wright said this week on CBS Sports Radio. "It makes absolutely no sense. If you want to win all these championships and look good on Sundays, you've got to compensate your guys that are making plays."
It also sounds like he has no reservations about potentially heading elsewhere within the division if it's best for him and his family.
The Seahawks made Wright a fourth-round draft pick out of Mississippi State in 2011. The 31-year-old linebacker recorded 86 tackles, 11 tackles for a loss, two sacks, an interception, 10 passes defensed, and a forced fumble through 16 games last season, per Pro Football Reference. He has recorded over 100 tackles five times over the last seven seasons.