It seems every day the Seattle Seahawks are in an offseason of transition. The last of the “old guard” are being transitioned out from the organization, in one way or another.
Earlier this week the Seahawks witnessed a pair of retirements from beloved players. Running back Chris Carson hung up the cleats due to a neck injury, and linebacker K.J. Wright signed a ceremonial one-day contract to retire as a member of the Seahawks. However, Wright is not alone in this department.
On Friday afternoon it was announced left guard J.R. Sweezy is following in Wright’s footsteps, and will be signing a similar ceremonial contract to officially end his career in Seattle.
My understanding is Seattle signed J.R. Sweezy to a ceremonial one-day contract so that he could retire as a Seahawks, as K.J. Wright just did. https://t.co/jvyFDccqqk
— Brady Henderson (@BradyHenderson) July 29, 2022
We're honored to announce that we've signed J.R. Sweezy to a one-day contract to retire as a Seahawk.
Thank you, J.R.! 🙌
📰 » https://t.co/HjE8U1tZnT pic.twitter.com/w7Q75bFcbh
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) July 29, 2022
It’s not every day fans are invested in a left guard, but not every left guard has a unique story like J.R. Sweezy. Originally a defensive tackle from NC State, Seattle selected Sweezy in the 7th round of the 2012 NFL Draft… as an offensive linemen.
The experiment born out of the mind of Tom Cable actually payed off well for the Seahawks. From 2012-2015, the Seahawks managed to find themselves a mainstay in their offensive line as Sweezy became one of their more consistent men up front. Following a two-year stint in Tampa Bay, Sweezy would return to the Seahawks in 2018 for one final season to help bring Seattle back to the postseason.
It speaks volumes to the kind of organization Pete Carroll and John Schneider have cultivated over the past 13 years where franchise icons want to “return home” when it’s all said and done.
