K.J. Wright joins 49ers as assistant linebackers coach

K.J. Wright played against the 49ers many times during his time as a Seahawks linebacker, but he won't be working to beat them in 2024. Wright announced on his podcast that he has been hired as an assistant linebackers coach and quality control coach by the Niners. The move comes a couple of days after the 49ers promoted Nick Sorensen to defensive coordinator and added former Chargers head coach Brandon Staley to the staff. Sorensen was an assistant with the Seahawks from 2013-2020 and Wright was on the team for that entire run, so that familiarity likely helped pave the way for Wright to begin his coaching career. Wright started 154 of the 159 games he played during his time in Seattle, including a pair of Super Bowls. The Seahawks won the first of those Super Bowls and Wright finished his time with the team with 1,051 tackles, 15.5 sacks, seven interceptions, 11 forced fumbles, and nine fumble recoveries. He played a final season with the Raiders in 2021 before retiring as a member of the Seahawks the next year.