RENTON, Wash. -- Seattle Seahawks strong safety Kam Chancellor interrupted the media scrum Thursday to ask a question to the star of the moment -- linebacker K.J. Wright, the man who just signed a four-year, $27-million contract extension.
"Hey, I want to know what’s the first thing you’re gonna buy with all that money," Chancellor asked Wright.
"Nothing for me," Wright said. "It’ll be something for my momma. My momma comes first."
Wright has his priorities in the right place. So do the Seahawks.
Thursday was another example that general manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll mean what they say. Since winning the Super Bowl last season, they have said all along they wanted to do everything they could to keep their core players together.
Wright’s new deal is the latest step in that plan.
"We’ve been talking about this since the spring," Wright said. "It’s only human that sometimes you wonder, 'Am I going to be here or am I not?' But they told me all along they would find a way to make it happen and they did. It’s a blessing. Pete called me [Tuesday night] to tell me how much I mean to them. I’m glad they chose for me to stick around.”
Every Super-Bowl winning team loses players to other teams. Eleven players from last season moved on for various reasons, but the Seahawks have re-signed cornerback Richard Sherman, free safety Earl Thomas, defensive end Michael Bennett, wide receiver Doug Baldwin, kicker Steven Hauschka, and now Wright, since the end of last season.
"This is starting to turn into cement," said Thomas, who signed a 4-year, $40 million deal in the offseason. "We have a special group. If you ball out, you’re gonna get what you need. I’m happy for [Wright]."
Sherman, who signed a four-year, $57 million deal in the spring, said it means a lot to the players because it shows the commitment of team management.
"For the most part, if you play well, you will be retained," Sherman said. "They’ve kept their word with us. And obviously, it means a lot to the defense to know K.J. is going to be here."
One reason the Seahawks were able to complete the deal with Wright was the money they saved by trading receiver Percy Harvin, about $6.4 million this season.
Now two other players take priority for the Seahawks in terms of reaching long-term deals -- quarterback Russell Wilson and middle linebacker Bobby Wagner.
Wilson is likely to get a contract is excess of $100 million, with more than $40 million guaranteed. Wagner probably is looking for a multi-year contract that will pay him between $8 and $10 a year. Both Wilson and Wagner are in their third season.
In the salary-cap era, it’s impossible for a winning team to keep everyone, but the Seahawks have proven they will do all they can to keep the young players that made them winners.