Your daily San Francisco 49ers news for Tuesday, March 5th, 2024

Former Seahawks LB K.J. Wright reveals he’s joining 49ers as coach

“Wright said that he was the one who ran linebacker meetings through most of his career. He spent 10 years in Seattle from 2011-2020, making one Pro Bowl in 2016, and actually debuted against the 49ers. He finished his career in 2021 with the Las Vegas Raiders.”

Latest 49ers 2024 NFL Draft rumors, buzz, speculation from combine

“New 49ers defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen will have a huge influence on the team’s plan at nickel back. That’s the position he coached the past two seasons. Three to keep in mind for the mid-rounds: Michigan’s Mike Sainristil, Missouri’s Kris Abrams-Draine and Kentucky’s Dru Phillips.”

Branch: Here’s some offseason advice to help 49ers solve their roster problems (paywall)

“More than four months later, the 49ers won’t have to surrender draft-pick compensation to grab Johnson, if he reaches the open market when free agency begins next week. The Bears haven’t been able to secure Johnson with a contract extension, but they could place the franchise tag on Johnson before Tuesday’s deadline.

If Johnson isn’t available, the 49ers, who have spent big in free agency the past two years on Ward and Hargrave, respectively, should spend their cash on an offensive or defensive lineman (see below) given the dearth of other quality free-agent corners.

A best-case scenario? Johnson locks down the outside with Ward, and Lenoir can assume a full-time role in the slot, where he excelled last season. In addition, Johnson’s presence would soften the blow in 2025 if the 49ers can’t keep both Ward and Lenoir, each of whom is entering the final year of his contract.”

Former Seahawks star K.J. Wright starts coaching career with arch rivals

For so many years, Seattle Seahawks fans were used to watching K.J. Wright help deliver victories over the San Francisco 49ers.

Now Wright will play a role in helping the Niners continue their recent dominance of the rivalry with the Seahawks and the NFC West division as a whole.

Wright, the former Seahawks linebacker who was a key part of the ‘Legion of Boom’ defense and Seattle’s Super Bowl-winning team from the 2013 season, announced on his podcast ‘KJ All Day’ that he is to join the 49ers’ coaching staff.

He has been hired as the 49ers’ assistant linebackers coach/defensive quality control coach.

“I am thoroughly excited, I am really really happy for this opportunity, I’m really, really happy for the Niners organisation believing in me, trusting me with their franchise,” said Wright.

“I’ve competed against those guys since day one. My first ever NFL game was against the Niners, and I remember after that game my dad coming up to me saying ‘you think that you can play in this league?’ I said ‘heck yeah, I know I can play in this league’. It was going against the Niners and here I am, 13, 14 years down the road, about to be coaching for them.

“Kyle Shanahan to John Lynch, the 49er faithful, I’m excited, I’m ready to roll. It’s going to be really, really fun.”

It’s unlikely to be fun for fans in Seattle to see Wright, who retired as a member of the Seahawks in 2022, coaching against their team, especially given the success the 49ers have enjoyed of late.

San Francisco represented the NFC in the Super Bowl this past season, but suffered an overtime defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Including the postseason, the 49ers have won the last five meetings with the Seahawks. The average margin of victory in those five games has been 15 points. In other words, it hasn’t been close.

Now, as he gets the chance to work with a linebacking corps led by the best player in the NFL at that position, Fred Warner, Wright will be looking to help ensure the 49ers extend that streak to seven games in 2024.

The Seahawks have past experience of seeing franchise legends join division rivals. Richard Sherman famously left for the 49ers in 2018 and played for San Francisco in Super Bowl 54, while Bobby Wagner played for the Los Angeles Rams in 2022.

Still, though it’s undoubtedly a tremendous achievement for Wright to be handed such an opportunity, the sight of him on the 49ers’ sideline will definitely take some getting used to.