Wright played as a reserve running back and special teamer in the National Football League (NFL) for the Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, and Arizona Cardinals.

[4] He enrolled there in 2000 and played for the Northwestern Wildcats football team originally as a wide receiver before switching to running back.

He signed with the San Francisco 49ers after the draft but was released as a part of the team's final roster cuts prior to the regular season.

[14][15] Wright played for the Browns for three seasons as a backup and third-down back behind Reuben Droughns and Jamal Lewis until signing a two-year, US$2 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals in 2009.

[22] Wright has served on the board of trustees for the Union Theological Seminary in New York since 2017, and as co-chair with Sheila Johnson on the Greater Washington Partnership's Inclusive Growth Strategy Council since 2021.

[22] The move made him the first black president of an NFL team in history, as well as the youngest active one at the time of his hiring.

[28][29] In 2024, Wright was regarded as a finalist to succeed Mark Murphy as president and CEO of the Green Bay Packers.

[10] He is close friends with Michael Blake, a fellow Northwestern graduate who later served as the Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee from 2017 to 2021.

[10] Wright was the recipient of the "Best Hire of 2020" award by the Sports Business Journal and was named to Black Enterprise's "Top 40 under 40" list in 2021.