SEATTLE _ Mychal Kendricks is a Seahawk.
Let that fact sink in.
It's improbable, of course, because the 5-foot-11, 240-pound linebacker pleaded guilty last month to a felony insider-trading charge, admitting he made $1.2 million in four illegal deals in 2014 and 2015 while he was a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. He was subsequently released by the Cleveland Browns after pleading guilty.
In a statement last month, Kendricks wrote, in part, that "while I didn't fully understand all of the details of the illegal trades, I knew it was wrong, and I wholeheartedly regret my actions."
And yet, here he is. He's here, primarily, because standout weakside linebacker K.J. Wright remains sidelined in the wake of arthroscopic knee surgery, and middle linebacker Bobby Wagner was also ruled out for Monday night's game against the Bears with a groin issue.
Kendricks could face 30 to 37 months in prison as a first-time offender but is expected to be sentenced no earlier than January, making the 27-year-old veteran technically available for the 2018 regular season. He could also face an NFL suspension, though the Seahawks have been assured Kendricks will be allowed to play on Monday.
And, make no mistake, Kendricks will play. Suddenly, the Seahawks need him.
"We had done a lot of homework on (his situation), and it happened four and a half years ago," head coach Pete Carroll said Saturday. "It's a story that's been worked on for a long time. With a lot of good information, we've come to learn who he is and what he's all about and how remorseful he was. He admitted to his mistake a long time ago. He paid the money back. He did all the right things along the way.
"The process continues, but we just checked everything we could possibly check out. He's a guy that deserves a second chance."
It appears he'll get one, if only for a week. Without Wagner and Wright, the expectation is that second-year pro Austin Calitro will start at middle linebacker and Kendricks will slide into the weakside spot, with rookie Shaquem Griffin rotating in there as well.
On Monday night, Kendricks will play a pivotal role on a team he signed with less than 72 hours ago.
"He's going to play," Carroll confirmed. "(With) the background that he has and the instincts that he has and he's been coached really well over the years ... he really has a chance to pick it up really quickly and get in there and help us."
Added Kendricks on Saturday: "(I'm) as ready as I can be, with the two days (to prepare). It's football. It's a game I've played since I was a little boy and there's a lot I've learned in my seven years as a pro. So I'm going to take that knowledge and use it in the game if I get a chance to play."
That chance was far from guaranteed, as a prison sentence looms for the Fresno, Calif., native and University of California alum. Still, Kendricks said on Saturday that multiple teams showed interest, but "as far as I'm concerned the Seahawks were the ones that were most interested, and that's why I'm here."
"I wasn't sure (I'd get to play this season)," Kendricks continued. "I prayed about it. I'm very blessed to have this opportunity. So I plan to make the most of it."
He'll have an opportunity to do that on Monday, in a defensive scheme Kendricks said shares many similarities with the one he adopted for six seasons in Philadelphia. In 85 career games, the 2017 Super Bowl champion produced 459 tackles, 14 sacks and three interceptions. Most recently, he compiled 77 tackles and two sacks in 15 games last season.
Over the course of an offseason, so much has changed.
But though the move was undoubtedly controversial, Kendricks will be expected to contribute on Monday nevertheless.
"It's been pretty hard. It's been very hard," Kendricks said of his legal situation. "But, you know, I'll overcome this just like I've overcome other obstacles in my life. Like I said, I'm very blessed to have this opportunity, so I treat it as such. But football is helping me a lot."
