Wright prepared for Hurricane Milton, then for the Seahawks as the 49ers’ new kicker
SEATTLE (AP) — It’s been a hectic week for Matthew Wright. Even for an emergency kicker.
Wright signed with the 49ers on Tuesday, after San Francisco lost starter Jake Moody to a high ankle sprain in its loss last week to the Arizona Cardinals. He then went 3 for 3 on field goals and 3 for 3 on extra points in the 49ers’ 36-24 win at Seattle on Thursday night.
“I kind of say to myself, ‘You’ve done it a million times, just don’t overthink it,’” Wright said.
It’s not the first time Wright has suited up for a new team on short notice. But this time, he dealt with a different sort of challenge entering the week.
The fifth-year kicker, who has now played for five NFL teams, lives in Tampa, Florida, and when he got the call from his agent that the 49ers were interested, he was busy packing up his belongings before Hurricane Milton arrived.
Instead of evacuating with his wife, Kelsey — and just about everyone else in their neighborhood — Wright ended up leaving Florida a day early. First he caught a flight to the Bay Area, and then he traveled to Seattle with the team.
Milton, which made landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast as a Category 3 hurricane Wednesday night, has killed at least eight people and knocked out power for more than 3 million.
Wright said that his area “didn’t get too, too bad of stuff,” adding that his wife returned from Orlando on Thursday to take stock of the damage and begin the process of repairs.
“The floors got wet,” he said. “We’re going to need some new floors. But it’s not the worst.”
Wright has had previous stints with Pittsburgh (twice), Jacksonville, Kansas City and Carolina. He’s had plenty of practice coming to a new locker room, getting used to a new special teams operation and getting on the field quickly.
“Just try to go out there and do what I do,” he said. “Try not to think too much, and let my practice (show) on the field.”
Wright opened the scoring on Thursday night with a 25-yard kick in the first quarter. He converted from 41 yards and 35 yards in the second.
He even added a tackle on his final kickoff of the night, slamming Dee Williams out of bounds in the final minutes of the fourth quarter — his first tackle since Nov. 28, 2022. He grimaced as he left the field but was fine in the locker room afterward.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season!
