Kendall Thomas Wright (born November 12, 1989) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

wide receiver who is a free agent. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at Baylor, where he is the career leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. Wright was drafted by the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

in the first round, 20th overall, of the

2012 NFL Draft The 2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players for their rosters. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held ...

High school career

Wright attended Pittsburg High School in

Pittsburg, Texas Pittsburg is a city and the county seat of Camp County, Texas, United States. Best known as the former home of the giant poultry producer Pilgrim's and the home of racing legend Carroll Shelby, Pittsburg is also the birthplace of Cavender's Boot ...

, where he was a three-sport standout that earned All-state honors in football, basketball and track. In

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

, he excelled as a

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

and

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

, receiving second-team Class 3A All-State honors from the Texas Sports Writers Association and honorable mention by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

at both positions as a junior and senior. As a junior, he accounted for 26 total touchdowns and passed for 850 yards. As a senior quarterback, he rushed for 1,069 yards while passing for 1,170 yards, totalling 24

touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether Rush (gridiron football), running, Forward pass, passing, returning a Kickoff (gridiron football), kickoff or Punt (gridiron football), punt, or recovering a Turno ...

. As an All-State

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

performer, he averaged 24.5 points, six rebounds, five assists and five steals per game en route to receiving 2007 East Texas Player of the Year honors from the

Tyler Morning Telegraph The ''Tyler Morning Telegraph'' is a daily newspaper based in Tyler, Texas, United States. It is privately owned by M. Roberts Media. History The newspaper begin publishing weekly in 1877 as the ''Weekly Courier''. In 1882, the ''Daily Courier' ...

. He served as a youth basketball coach while still in high school. Wright was also a

track & field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

athlete, Wright captured the 2007 Texas Class 3A state

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

title, with a leap of 7.37 meters (24-0 3/4), as well as the state triple jump crown, with a leap of 14.81 meters (48-5 1/4). He received the 2008 Class 3A gold medal in the

triple jump The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to the long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down th ...

after setting a state meet-record leap of 15.48 meters (50-8 3/4).

College career

As a true freshman in 2008, Wright played in all 12 games and led the team in receptions with 50, receiving yards with 649 yards and five

. The 50 receptions and 649 receiving yards were Baylor freshman records. He also played 13 games for the

basketball team Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

. As a sophomore in 2009, Wright again was the team's leading receiver with 66 receptions for 740 yards and five touchdowns. He was an All-

Big 12 The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its fo ...

honorable mention. As a junior in 2010, he was named a second-team All-Big 12 selection after recording 78 receptions for 952 yards and seven touchdowns. The 78 receptions set a school record for most receptions in a season. In his senior season, Wright played in all 13 games and had 108 receptions for 1,633 yards with 14

. Wright was named 1st Team All-American and All-Big 12.

College statistics

Professional career

Tennessee Titans

The

selected Wright in the first round (20th overall) of the

. He was the third wide receiver selected in the 2012 NFL draft.

2012 season

On July 23, 2012, the Titans signed Wright to a 4-year, $8.8 million contract with a signing bonus of $4.4 million and $7.5 million guaranteed. As a rookie in 2012, Wright began the season as the third receiver on the depth chart. He played his first game on September 9, 2012, during the Titans season opener and made 5 catches for 37-yards. The next week he earned his first career start and had 2 receptions for 24-yards, while also catching a 15-yard touchdown from

Jake Locker Jacob Cooper Locker (born June 15, 1988) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at the University of Washington, and was drafted by the Tennessee Titans eighth overall in the 2011 NFL Draft. A backup during his ent ...

, in a 10-38 loss to the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

. On October 7, 2012, Wright caught a season-high 9 passes for 66 receiving yards in a loss at the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

. In a Week 13 matchup against the rival

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...

, Wright had a season-high 78 receiving yards on 6 catches in the 10-24 loss. He finished his rookie year with 64 catches, 626 receiving yards, and 4 receiving touchdowns in 15 games and 5 starts.

2013 season

Wright began Week 2 of the 2013 season making 7 catches for 54 receiving yards and his first touchdown of the season, in a 24-30 loss to the Texans. During Week 4 contest against the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

, he earned his first start of the season, filling in for

Kenny Britt Kenneth Lawrence Britt (born September 19, 1988) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Rutgers and was drafted by the Tennessee Titans with the 30th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. He has also played for ...

, and finished the game with 5 receptions and 56 receiving yards. On November 24, 2013, Wright made 6 catches for 103-yards and his touchdown in a victory over the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...

. It marked his first career game with over 100-yards receiving. Wright broke that receiving mark on December 15, when he caught a career-high 12 passes for 150 receiving yards in a 34-37 loss to the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

. Wright finished the season with 94 receptions, 1,079 yards, and 2 touchdown catches in 16 games and 12 starts. This also marked his last season under

Mike Munchak Michael Anthony Munchak (born March 5, 1960) is an American professional football coach and former player. A graduate of Penn State, Munchak played left guard for the Houston Oilers from 1982 until 1993 and was a nine-time selection to the Pro B ...

2014 season

Wright began his first season under

Ken Whisenhunt Kenneth Moore Whisenhunt (born February 28, 1962) is an American football coach and former tight end who is currently an offensive analyst for Penn State. He played college football at Georgia Tech and was drafted in the twelfth round of the 198 ...

with 6 receptions for 46 yards and a touchdown in the season-opening win over the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

. On October 5, 2014, he hauled in 6 passes for 47-yards and his first 2 touchdown game of his career, in a 28-29 loss to the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

. In Week 13 at Houston, Wright racked up a season-high 132 receiving yards on 7 receptions, while also accounting for a 36-yard touchdown reception against the Texans. He finished the season with 57 receptions, 715 receiving yards, and a career-high 6 touchdown receptions in 14 games and 11 starts.

2015 season

On April 23, 2015, the Titans picked up the fifth year/$7.32 million option of Wright's contract. In the season opener at Tampa, Wright made 4 receptions for 101-yards and caught a 52-yard touchdown from rookie

Marcus Mariota Marcus Ardel Taulauniu Mariota (born October 30, 1993) is an American football quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted second overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2015 NFL Draft. Mariota play ...

. During a Week 5 loss to the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

, he had a season-high 7 catches for 95-yards and a touchdown in a 33-35 loss. On November 1, 2015, he suffered a knee injury after making 4 receptions for 21-yards in a loss at the Texans.

2016 season

Wright played in 11 games with four starts in 2016. He recorded 29 receptions for 416 yards and three touchdowns. While Wright's targets declined from 6.0 per game in 2015 to 3.9 per game in 2016, his 9.7 yards per target ranked No. 7 among NFL wide receivers. In Week 5 against the

, he had eight receptions for 133 yards and a touchdown. Days after the season ended, Wright stated that he was "not a part of the 2017 Tennessee Titans", indicating he wanted to play elsewhere in 2017.

Chicago Bears

On March 11, 2017, Wright signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

. On September 10, in his Bears debut, Wright had three receptions for 34 yards in the 23–17 home loss to the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

Soldier Field Soldier Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1924 and reconstructed in 2003, the stadium has served as the home of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) since 1 ...

. He finished the season as the Bears' leading receiver with 59 receptions for 614 yards and one touchdown.

Minnesota Vikings

On March 30, 2018, Wright signed a one-year deal with the

. He was released on September 1, 2018.

Arizona Cardinals

On October 8, 2018, Wright signed a one-year contract with the

. He was released on October 18, 2018. He was re-signed on November 5, 2018. He was released again on November 17, 2018.

Toronto Argonauts

On February 12, 2021, Wright signed with the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL). He was placed on the suspended list on July 10, 2021. He was released on October 5, 2021.

NFL career statistics

References

External links

*
Tennessee Titans bio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Kendall 1989 births Living people People from Pittsburg, Texas People from Mount Pleasant, Texas Players of American football from Texas Basketball players from Texas American football wide receivers Baylor Bears football players Baylor Bears men's basketball players Tennessee Titans players Chicago Bears players Minnesota Vikings players Arizona Cardinals players American men's basketball players Toronto Argonauts players