National Football League

Aaron Curry moved to second team

Published Sep. 22, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

The Seattle Seahawks have demoted outside linebacker Aaron Curry, the fourth overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, to the second team, the Tacoma News Tribune reported Thursday.

Curry, whose play has failed to live up to his billing out of Wake Forest, will now back up rookie K.J. Wright, a fourth round pick out of Mississippi State.

"I don't even know how to put it into words," Curry said. "But it is what it is … Everything happens for a reason. There's a purpose behind everything, and I'll find it and learn from it and take off running."

Curry, 25, has struggled to turn his impressive athletic ability into big plays for the Seahawks over the past two seasons. In the meantime, other players drafted behind him have blossomed, including Redskins linebacker Brian Orakpo, Texans linebacker Brian Cushing and Packers linebacker Clay Matthews.

The Seahawks restructured Curry's contract this summer, making it possible for the team to let him go in free agency at the end of the season. After this season, Curry will have earned $28.25 million of a six-year, $60 million contract signed before his rookie season.

The Seahawks head into Sunday's home opener against Arizona at 0-2.